12 THE WORLD-ENERGY 



edly of "empirical space/' "relative space/' and "mova- 

 ble space."* 



Applying such terms to " the sum total of all experi- 

 ence" for the sensuous consciousness, he, at the same 

 time, emphasizes the absurdity of confounding such 

 " empirical, relative space " (by which he evidently means 

 extended objects in general) with "pure, non-empirical 

 and absolute space/' which is necessarily presupposed as 

 the universal and indispensable negative condition of 

 that is, total absence of resistance to all movement 

 whatever. 



In defining space as such, then, we can, it would 

 seem, use no other than negative forms of expression. 

 In space, pure and simple, all definite dimension is 

 annulled. It is true that space presents the possibility of 

 all dimension. Space is formless, and hence wholly indif- 

 ferent to form. But just for that reason, space is in a 

 negative sense again the possibility of all form. That 

 is, it has no characteristics offering any opposition to the 

 development of form. Objects are said to be " in space." 

 At the same time, every definite that is, arbitrarily 

 selected portion of space, however large or however 

 small, is still an " outside " to every other portion. 



It is further evident that space has no twternality at 

 all ; for that would imply positive or real characteristics by 

 which one portion of space could, on its own account, be 

 distinguished from another portion. On the contrary, it 

 is only through our sensations of objects in space that we 

 can distinguish between space and space, or ever know 

 anything at all about the purely negative, empty infinitude 



*See Kant's "Prolegomena," etc. Translated by Belfort Bax (Bonn's 

 Library), p. 151, and elsewhere. 



