Phenomenology: The Changing Consciousness of A. Square

Phenomenology is a philosophical movement started by Edmund Husserl. He believed that the proper philosophical approach to any subject consists of an analysis of how objects appear to human consciousness. Husserl argued that instead of describing consciousness as consisting of ideas or representations, it would be better to approach consciousness as intentional, that is, always about something, pointing to something.

All consciousness is consciousness of something – awareness must be conscious of something in order to exist. It can bring about awareness of self and of the possibilities of the world. Consciousness doesn’t create objects, but it discloses or displays them. The more Husserl tried to develop a method, the more it seemed to him that the human experience is limited to phenomena, or objects and experiences as they appear to consciousness (hence the name phenomenology).

Husserl developed a technique for phenomenological criticism, reducing judgments in order to purify a phenomenon of all factual ingredients and interpretations. With this reduction, phenomenology tries to achieve complete objectivity and explore the essential character of awareness. It is not concerned with passing value judgments but rather demonstrating experiences and consciousness. Phenomenology is an attempt to go back to basics by describing things without trying to explain or analyze them and from this notion of thinking to move forward to a new more intuitive grasp of our sense of being.

Phenomenological criticism looks for an instinctual reading of a text, unaffected by historical context, the conditions of production and readership, and the author. The text is reduced to a pure examination of consciousness and awareness. Phenomenology is concerned with the deep structures of the mind, which can be seen in recurrent themes and imagery. This form of criticism focuses on how one experiences time and space, as well as the relation to material objects. In applying phenomenology to Flatland by Edwin Abbot it can be seen that once consciousness is reached an individual becomes aware of themselves and of larger possibilities.

This story is about A. Square, a mathematician and resident of two dimensional Flatland, where men are shapes having three or more sides depending on their status, and women are straight lines. In a dream Square discovers Lineland (a land of one dimension) where he tries to explain his world of two dimensions to the king of the realm. The king is not very receptive and attempts to kill Square, who wakes up just in time. Later a sphere from Spaceland (a three dimensional world) comes to him and tries to explain a world of three dimensions. In this explanation the sphere lifts the square out of his two dimensional world into Spaceland where he can look down on his own Flatland to see and understand the reality of his own dimension.

When Square gets all this new knowledge and understanding he takes what he has learned one step further and asks the sphere if there is a four dimensional world, or maybe and infinite number of worlds of increased dimensions. The sphere dismisses that idea that there might be a form higher than himself just as the square and line had earlier. When Square insists that his idea could be valid the sphere drops him back into Flatland. Then in a dream the sphere returns and he is introduced to Pointland, a single point that believes that he is the universe because he can not perceive anything but himself. Even when Square speaks to the point, the point believes that the voice is really a part of his own consciousness. When he wakes up the Square tries to get others to believe in the third dimension and higher. He was promptly captured and put in jail where he is to spend the rest of his life.

This story lends itself to phenomenology because it is all about the consciousness and perception of the characters. The story is the tale of the changing consciousness of Square, as he becomes aware of the realities and the possibilities of dimensions, and the changing awareness of those he meets on his journey. He is aware of only his own world, and never thought beyond his own personal experiences, then he is awakened to the possibility of lower dimensions through in his dream of Lineland where the line he meets refuses to be conscious of the existence of a second dimension. Square, in his attempt to make the line understand, states the perception that he has of his own existence and that of the line by saying “You are a line, but I am a line of lines, called in my country a Square” (p 51).

This quote demonstrates the square’s awareness as to his own condition and that of the one-dimensional world. He is conscious of his own state and of the thought process he must go through in attempting to explain that state to the line who is not aware of any dimensions other than his own. However, at this point he has not yet become aware of the idea that there might be something of a higher dimension than that of his own land.

In that episode we can also see an insight into the consciousness of the line. He is the king of his land and refuses to believe that there is anything greater than he is, he can not or will not believe that he is not the highest form of being. At this point in the story Square is almost at the same level. The Square also believes that his plane is the best or only level of dimension. However, Square is one step ahead of the line because he is aware of the possibilities of levels below him, although this is not a big step it is a step towards being conscious of the further possibilities that he will later become aware of.

Shortly after this dream Square is teaching his grandson some basic math in lessons that are a regular occurrence in the household. The young boy asks raises the possibilities of cubes. He understands the methods involved with squaring a number, and ponders aloud the idea of cubing a number. Square is immediately outraged, but in the back of his consciousness is his visit to Lineland therefore he does think over the idea. He sends his grandson to bed and mutters to his wife about the impertinence of the boy. He is thus first introduced to the idea of a higher dimension, but like the line is not yet willing to admit that he is not of the highest possible dimension.

Later the sphere forces the square to hear about and see the third dimension, making the square aware of his own existence as a two- dimensional object and the possibilities of a three dimensional world. The line “I looked, and, behold, a new world! There stood before me, visibly incorporate, all that I had before inferred, conjectured, dreamed, of perfect Circular beauty” (p. 64). Here the square is aware of his assent into a higher plane, and what he has never known before. He is conscious of his own inferiority to the higher dimension. He is conscious of his own vision and the apparent beauty of what he is seeing in relation to his dreams and what he has know in his past.

Square then is conscious of his thought as he ponders further possibilities. The square is looking to further his knowledge, he states “I thirsted for yet deeper and fuller draughts than what he was offering me” (p 70). Here the square is aware of his new found knowledge and awareness and is in search for more. He is conscious of the fact that there must be more to learn, more to see. He is conscious of his thoughts and this search for more knowledge.

Although the main focus of this story is the changing consciousness of Square, there is also the changing awareness of the sphere that brings Square the knowledge of the third dimension. Even though the sphere initially is angry at Square for suggesting the possibility that there might be higher dimensions than his own; it is evident that his consciousness of further dimensions has also changed. In the dream where the sphere leads Square to Pointland the sphere acknowledges his error in denying the idea of higher dimensions, he even goes so far as to compare himself with the point because of his earlier belief that he was the highest and best form. He has become aware of the truth and further possibilities that he was not comfortable with.

When Square tries to live happily in his home after gaining a new awareness of the universe he can not. His perceptions of his home, his wife, and his family have all changed because of what he has learned. When he looks at his home all he is aware of is the memory of seeing his home from a third dimensional world, where he could see the inside his home from above. He is conscious of the weaknesses and inferiority of his own dimension and existence. This is why he attempts to make others to see the truth, but similar to his own battle against enlightenment, no one will listen to him. The authorities of his land become aware of his raving about higher dimensions and perceive him as a danger to society and imprison him.

Square is also conscious that his world, his reality is not the only one. There are higher levels of understanding than the one he has reached. In the last sentence of the story Square is aware that “all the substantial realities of Flatland itself, appear no better than the offspring of a diseased imagination, or the baseless fabric of a dream” (82).

Square knows that his world, his dimension, is not the only one and he is aware of the fact that someone that reads the story of his journeys might not believe in his dimension. Through out the story Square comments on writing this story for the people of Spaceland, in hope of expanding their consciousness just as his awareness has grown. He is aware that his world might be someone else’s imagination, just as the society in his world tried to convince him that other worlds were in his imagination.

A common thread through this work that strengthens the knowledge that Square’s consciousness has grown is the number of comment within the text regarding the story being told to those of use in Spaceland. Square is aware that many inhabitants of Spaceland might not be aware of the lower dimensions or the possibilities of higher ones. Square mentions that the story is being written to bring the truth to those of us in Spaceland that have not become aware of what he has learned.

The story of Square and his travels is really the story of his developing consciousness. Through witnessing the thoughts and awareness of other beings Square becomes more conscious of his own self and thought process and attempts to expand the awareness of others. His development is mirrored in the development of the other characters. He grows in understanding and knowledge as he is introduced to new ideas and is aware of his place among these ideas. He struggles to move beyond his original ideas about himself and the universe and attempts to show others the truth as well. He is conscious of this journey and his changing awareness.

On another level the story of Square and his growing consciousness could be a statement by the author about the importance of coming to consciousness. The author seems to have come to consciousness before the story was written, and is using the story as a means to help bring others to consciousness.

Similar to the square in his story Edwin Abbott risks the judgment of people around him in hope of making other people aware of themselves and the possibilities of the world around them. The author might also be seen as speaking through the sphere of his story, trying to bring awareness while stile developing his own consciousness.

In conclusion, the theory of phenomenology in relation to this text strengthens the importance of awareness. This includes consciousness of oneself and of the surrounding world. Once a person can realize their own consciousness they can see the greater possibilities within their own self and of the environment in which they live. Whether this awareness is of a higher dimension or the thought process within oneself is not important, it is the coming of consciousness that is the important aspect of life.