Ixxv 



Laplace's views so far agree. Liebmann has suggested 

 that the general resemblance of the views of Kant 

 and Laplace, so far as it goes, may be explained by 

 the fact that they both started from Newton and 

 Buffon, the crude theories of the latter being referred 

 to by both ; and it has also been well remarked by 

 the German, v. Oettingen, that a gigantic intellect 

 like that of Laplace did not need Kant's leading, but 

 was sufficient of itself to account for his independent 

 originality, as was the case with Lambert. 



Laplace, in his own exposition, founds his hypo- 

 thesis as to ' the cause of the primitive movements of 

 the planetary system on the five following phenomena: 

 the motions of the planets in the same direction and 

 almost in the same plane ; the motions of the satellites 

 in the same direction as those of the planets; the 

 motions of rotation of these different bodies, and of 

 the sun in the same direction as their motions of 

 projection, and in planes little different ; the small 

 eccentricity of the orbits of the planets and the satel- 

 lites ; lastly, the great eccentricity of the orbits of the 

 comets, although their inclinations may have been 

 abandoned to chance.' 



The hypothesis of Laplace is too well known to 

 require to be expounded here in detail, but we regret 

 that considerations of space prevent the reproduction 

 of it as in his own exposition, for the sake of accurate 

 comparison with Kant's views. It has been always 

 better understood than Kant's theory, and there are 

 excellent summaries of it in our best text-books. Out 



