SECTION 12 Of the Doctrine of our Priests

This passage from Flatland presents a satirical critique of a rigid social structure, where the “Circles” enforce the belief that a being’s configuration (the shape of their body) is central to their identity and behavior. The doctrine of Configuration implies that people’s moral and social actions are determined by their geometric shape, rather than free will or effort. The Circles believe that deviations from perfect regularity—such as an Isosceles triangle with unequal sides—lead to undesirable behaviors and that “treatment” in the form of medical intervention can fix these “defects.”

The passage also reflects upon the treatment of women in Flatland, where their roles are diminished to emotional, irrational beings, and they are excluded from intellectual education. This lack of education has a negative effect on the entire society, as it forces men to live in a “bi-lingual” manner, using one language with women and another with their peers. The piece highlights the contrast between public reverence for women and the private, dismissive attitudes toward them, emphasizing the deep gender inequality that exists in this world.

At its core, this section of Flatland critiques the absurdities of a society that focuses on surface-level characteristics, like geometry, to dictate social roles, moral judgments, and relationships. The mockery of this focus on “configuration” and the denigration of women serve to make pointed social commentary on the dangers of rigid societal structures and the dehumanization that often accompanies them.