2 4 0 D O C . 5 8 K I N G ’ S C O L L E G E L E C T U R E
But it seems very reasonable to pose the problem at all. This train of thought
presses itself with even stronger intensity upon the theory of general relativity, be-
cause according to this theory the physical properties of space are influenced by
ponderable matter. This speaker is convinced that the theory of general relativity
can solve this problem in a satisfactory manner only by viewing the world as spa-
tially closed. The mathematical results of the theory lead to this view if one as-
sumes that the mean density of ponderable matter in the universe has finite value,
no matter how small this
value.[7]