COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



of rotation. In the one case this body is the 

 sun, which once more than filled the orbit of 

 Neptune ; in the other case it is the earth, 

 which at first more than filled the moon's orbit. 

 But together with this point of community be- 

 tween the two sciences, there is a fundamental 

 difference between them. While astrogeny con- 

 templates the contracting spheroid chiefly as a 

 generator of other spheroids, which are from 

 time to time formed from its equatorial belt, 

 detached as often as the centrifugal force at its 

 equator begins to exceed the force of gravitation 

 at the same place ; on the other hand, geogeny 

 contemplates the contracting spheroid only with 

 reference to the redistributions of matter and 

 motion going on within itself, and partly con- 

 sequent upon its cooling. Partly consequent, I 

 say, for there is one further point of difference 

 between the two sciences. Astrogeny contem- 

 plates its spheroid as a radiator of heat, but neg- 

 lects, as not affecting its own peculiar problems, 

 the heat which the spheroid may receive by radi- 

 ation from other masses. But geogeny not only 

 studies its spheroid as a radiator of heat, but 

 includes, as of the highest importance, the heat 

 which it receives from an external source. 



In Biology also the twofold point of view is 

 obvious, according as we study structures and 

 functions in mobile equilibrium at any partic- 

 ular epoch, or on the other hand the process 



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