Chapter 6, Of Recognition by Sight Summary

A. Square admits first that he is preparing to seem inconsistent, in that he has already stated the inhabitants of Flatland cannot see shapes, but only see lines. However, he is now about to explain how sight recognition is possible among the higher classes. Such a practice is only possible, according to A. Square, because of the dense fog that appears in all torrid areas of Flatland. This fog allows inhabitants to judge distance, since objects further away tend to disappear into the fog more than objects closer to the individual. If an individual places his or her glance on the bisection of the angle at the center of the shape approaching, his or her view will lie evenly between the shape's sides. For shapes whose sides are at sharp angles, such as an equilateral...