PHILOSOPHER-SCIENTISTS 



range, becoming a comet. But if the velocity of the 

 vortex into which the incrusted star settles be equiva- 

 lent to that of the surrounded vortex, it will hold it as 

 a captive, still revolving and ''wrapt in its own firma- 

 ment." Thus the several planets of our solar system 

 have been captured and held by the sun-vortex, as 

 have the moon and other satellites. 



But although these new theories at first created 

 great enthusiasm among all classes of philosophers 

 and scientists, they soon came under the ban of the 

 Church. While no actual harm came to Descartes 

 himself, his writings were condemned by the Catholic 

 and Protestant churches alike. The spirit of philo- 

 sophical inquiry he had engendered, however, lived 

 on, and is largely responsible for modern philos- 

 ophy. 



In many ways the life and works of Leibnitz re- 

 mind us of Bacon rather than Descartes. His life 

 was spent in filling high political positions, and his 

 philosophical and scientific writings were by-paths of 

 his fertile mind. He was a theoretical rather than 

 a practical scientist, his contributions to science being 

 in the nature of philosophical reasonings rather than 

 practical demonstrations. Had he been able to with- 

 draw from public life and devote himself to science 

 alone, as Descartes did, he would undoubtedly have 

 proved himself equally great as a practical worker. 

 But during the time of his greatest activity in philo- 

 sophical fields, between the years 1690 and 1716, he 

 was all the time performing extraordinary active 

 duties in entirely foreign fields. His work may be 

 regarded, perhaps, as doing for Germany in particular 



VOL. II. 14 



