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The prehistory of panspermia: astrophysical or metaphysical?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2007

Robert Temple
Robert Temple
Affiliation:
16 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4QT, UK e-mail: robert.temple@china-infonet.demon.co.uk
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Abstract

The panspermia theory has antecedents which go back to the Old Kingdom in Egypt, and which are also found in early Hinduism, the philosophy of the Greek pre-Socratic philosopher Anaxagoras, and amongst the Jewish and Christian Gnostics. It is remarkable how explicit some of these early sources are in suggesting that the entire cosmos is full of seeds, and that life on earth originated from them. Here, a survey is undertaken of all these early beliefs, in order to present a pre-history to these conceptions and show that such ideas appear to be as old as civilization itself.

Keywords

panspermiaancient conceptsEgyptianHindupre-Socratic GreekAnaxagorasGnostic ChristianManichaeancosmic spermata
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , April 2007 , pp. 169 - 180
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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