Natural Inclusion/space

How can we best think about space, the ‘thing’ that isn’t a thing, that ubiquitous presence of absence? The three spheres rolling along the paths shown in the diagram “flowing space” can help.

Begin by thinking about space as a wire-form sphere rolls along the path shown in (A). The space is unperturbed. It is not cut, displaced, moved, partitioned or disturbed. The sphere simply rolls along unhampered by space.

Now think about space as a hollow sphere rolls along the path shown in (B). There are at least two ways to think about the space interior to the hollow sphere. Let’s call that “intraspace”—the space interior to the hollow sphere. When Einstein was developing his theory of relativity, he found it useful to think of the intraspace as moving along with the hollow sphere. However, there is another description that can be made. It is also possible to think of the space as remaining unperturbed, as described in example (A). Here our source of reference remains the space, all of the space, and not just that locality of space interior to the hollow sphere. Think of the space moving or slipping through the form of the hollow sphere in the same way it was unperturbed by the wire-form sphere. Natural Inclusion uses this second description of space. Natural inclusion hence considers space to be the presence of absence, receptive to forms as they move and flow. Relatively speaking, the unperturbed space flows through the form as the form flows through space. These two alternative descriptions make two different choices about how to bind the intraspace of the hollow sphere. Einstein chose to bind that space to the sphere as it moved. Natural Inclusion chooses to bind the space to the background, or universe, as the hollow sphere moves. Natural Inclusion uses the term omnispace to describe all of the space, around and through the sphere and any other forms. Now think about space as the solid sphere rolls along the path as shown in (C). Using the description of space adopted by Natural Inclusion, the space is unperturbed as the solid sphere rolls along the path. The space slips through the sphere as the sphere moves. Why should this be so?

Consider the boundary of each sphere. The boundary of the wire-form sphere is permeable to air, light, and space. The boundaries of the other spheres are permeable to space. In fact, space permeates every boundary. This is not surprising when considering what kind of boundary surface would actually be needed to prevent space from passing through it. It would have to be completely impermeable, an absolute barrier to the passage of space. Such a solid barrier would have to be devoid of space. Yet, to be devoid of space it would have to have zero thickness and hence be nowhere. Ultimately, form cannot be removed from space and space cannot be removed from form. So natural inclusionality starts with a different understanding: that all flow-forms are freely permeable to space. Space cannot be cut, contained or displaced.

This shift in thinking about space helps us conceive of space as receptive to form and movement rather than as something that is opposed to movement. We can better perceive the world as the dynamic and animated place that it is.

Dr. Alan Rayner has used various explanations, analogies, diagrams, lectures, and artwork to convey these ideas. These are collected here for your further study of space as described by Natural Inclusion.

The article Deep Relativity - A Brief Explanation of Place-Time, published in Best Thinking provides a brief explanation of how the natural inclusional perception of physical reality as ‘place-time’ could change the way we understand Nature and human nature, and how this could relate to classical philosophy and spirituality.

These ideas are explored more deeply in the article Place-Time: The Flow-Geometry of Space, published in Best Thinking. The article shows how a radical involution in conventional mathematical and physical perceptions of reality can be brought about by regarding natural form as comprising energetically surfaced cavities of space, instead of local points of mass surrounded by space.

Original art is used in the Best Thinking article Natural Resurrection, to show how we can bring the rigidity of abstract thought back to Life through Love. The poem 'What may not be obvious', published in the book NaturesScope can also be found in the collection of poems entitled The Limitless Pool.

Dr. Alan Rayner lectures on the nature of space in this video, recorded June 9, 2011.