“ The mind . . . entertains the idea of limitless, through the greater difficulty which it finds in entertaining that of limited, space. ”
Edgar Allan Poe, Eureka (1848). copy citation
| Author | Edgar Allan Poe |
|---|---|
| Source | Eureka |
| Topic | space limits infinity |
| Date | 1848 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Eureka:_A_Prose_Poem |
Context
“But this is merely one of those phrases by which even profound thinkers, time out of mind, have occasionally taken pleasure in deceiving themselves. The quibble lies concealed in the word "difficulty." "The mind," we are told, "entertains the idea of limitless, through the greater difficulty which it finds in entertaining that of limited, space." Now, were the proposition but fairly put, its absurdity would become transparent at once. Clearly, there is no mere difficulty in the case. The assertion intended, if presented according to its intention and without sophistry, would run thus:—"The mind admits the idea of limitless, through the greater impossibility of entertaining that of limited, space."”
source
Meaning and analysis
