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CHAPTER II - THE ORGANIC HISTORY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2012

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Summary

The Formative Period of the Earth.— “No one can find out the work which God doeth from the beginning unto the end.” Science does not know what was the beginning, nor whether there has been a beginning in God's doings; nor does it know the end, for there will be no end. But we know that our mundane system, especially our earth, has had a beginning, and we can so far trace its history. According to the well-known theory of Kant and Laplace, started by each independently of the other, there is a mass of matter with an impulse given to it rotating from west to east, and throwing off the earth as a fiery liquid, to move in the same direction. As the earth rotates it is formed into an oblate spheroid. As it cools it has a solid crust with thick, gaseous substances surrounding it, which, in the process of time, are condensed into water. As it then presents itself, it is composed of seventy elements, less or more, and in it are mechanical, chemical, gravitating forces, probably also magnetic and electric—whatever these may be. As they operate, divisions and combinations take place—what are called differentiations and concentrations. The atmosphere is separated from the land, and, as the oscillations of the crackling earth go on, portions of land rise above the waters.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009
First published in: 1890

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  • THE ORGANIC HISTORY
  • James McCosh
  • Book: The Religious Aspect of Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 March 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511694684.004
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  • THE ORGANIC HISTORY
  • James McCosh
  • Book: The Religious Aspect of Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 March 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511694684.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • THE ORGANIC HISTORY
  • James McCosh
  • Book: The Religious Aspect of Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 March 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511694684.004
Available formats
×