THE ORGANISM AS A NATURAL THING 5 



are very great, so that cosmic bodies like the sun (and other 

 stars) will certainly continue to radiate for millions of millions 

 of years. Nevertheless, the changes that are involved in radiation 

 are irreversible ones. It can be shown (see Section 89) that the 

 continued emission of energy by the sun and stars is the result 

 of the annihilation of their mass. Protons and electrons, which 

 are the ultimate substance of the universe, may come together 

 in such ways as to transform into radiation ; or they may come 

 together to form atoms. The atoms of matter may continue 

 to emit energy by undergoing radioactive disintegration, in 

 the course of which changes their mass decreases. Moreover, 

 all cosmic bodies which are hot radiate heat and become 

 cool. 



Radiation of any frequency tends to become universally dis- 

 tributed, travelling through cosmic space in all directions. 

 Further, the radiation tends to degenerate inasmuch as its 

 higher frequency tends always to become that lower frequency 

 represented by heat of low temperature. 



Thus the energy of the sun and stars continually degrades, in 

 that it transforms into radiation, which becomes universally 

 distributed and assumes the form of low- temperature heat. In 

 the ultimate state of the universe all cosmic energy will take 

 this form. This continued change is the passage of nature. 

 (See further in Section 89.) 



2b. The Energetic Status of Things. Some natural things, 

 such as the sun and stars, ha.ye primary status in that they represent 

 physical causality. They radiate heat and other forms of energy 

 and are the causes of physical events. Thus most of the changes 

 of any kind that occur on the earth are the effects of the sun's 

 radiation. 



Things like the earth itself, its heated core, the chemically 

 active materials in it and its envelopes are of secondary energetic 

 status. Their energy, or physical causality, that is, their power 

 of changing and setting up phenomena, are due to their original 

 detachment from the sun — a thing of primary status. 



Things like the nitrogen of the atmosphere, the cold materials 

 of the rocks of the earth's crust, the substance of the moon, 

 satellites in general, meteorites, cosmic dust, water, sands, etc., 

 have (we may say in the meantime) tertiary energetic status. 

 They are inert matter which no longer, of itself, is active in the 



