“Evolution has ensured that our brains just aren’t equipped to visualise 11 dimensions directly. However, from a purely mathematical point of view it’s just as easy to think in 11 dimensions, as it is to think in three or four.”
- January 8, 1942 – March 14, 2018
- British
- Theoretical physicist, science writer
- Announced the black hole singularity theorem and Hawking radiation, and contributed to the popularization of science with his book “Talking about the Universe”
Quote
“Evolution has ensured that our brains just aren’t equipped to visualise 11 dimensions directly. However, from a purely mathematical point of view it’s just as easy to think in 11 dimensions, as it is to think in three or four.”
Explanation
In this statement, Stephen Hawking touches on the inherent limitations of human cognition and how evolution has shaped our brains to perceive the world in three dimensions, with the possibility of a fourth dimension (time) being more abstract. He acknowledges that our biological evolution has made it difficult for us to directly comprehend concepts that extend beyond our sensory experience, such as the higher dimensions proposed in string theory and M-theory, which suggest that the universe could have as many as 11 dimensions.
From a mathematical standpoint, Hawking emphasizes that abstract thinking and equations do not depend on the limitations of our senses. While we may not be able to visualize 11 dimensions in the same way we perceive physical space, the mathematics of these higher-dimensional spaces allows physicists to explore and describe these dimensions with precision. This aligns with the way theoretical physics relies heavily on mathematical models to explain phenomena that are otherwise beyond human perception. For instance, the mathematical framework of string theory works in 10 or 11 dimensions, but its implications are understood not by direct observation, but through equations and abstractions.
This statement also highlights a key philosophical point in modern physics: the realization that many aspects of the universe can be understood through abstract mathematical principles rather than intuitive sensory experience. It emphasizes how science has moved beyond the limits of everyday human perception to unlock hidden truths about the nature of reality—a profound reminder that the universe often operates on a scale far beyond what our brains are evolutionarily equipped to fully grasp.
