ABSTRACT
Space has multiple meanings in popular interpretations as well as scholarly ones. Conversely, philosophy, theology, and cultural and social histories begin by examining intellectual and symbolic constructs of space. Those explore material aspects of society including archaeology and geography to provide additional information. Newtonian absolutism viewed space as fixed, it did not affect human behavior. In terms of space, Kant theorized that the body was instrumental in imputing meaning to space. These real effects demonstrate the importance of understanding how theoretical models directly shape material experience of space. Cartesian spatial theory is similar to current definitions of religious space. Descartes' theory reverberated throughout Western Europe, ultimately extending far beyond its physical and intellectual borders. Locke marks the early vestiges of contemporary spatial conceptions. Merleau-Ponty, whose philosophical focus was the body, asserted that its orienting function is the origin of space. These concepts have given way to current definitions of space.
