The Universe a Vast Electric OrganismWarder, Geo. W. (George Woodward)
Science
The Universe a Vast Electric Organism
Warder, Geo. W. (George Woodward)
Science -- Miscellanea
This shows the unity of matter and life. Wherever there is matter there
is electric energy and life-force, which evolves infinite grades of
life-forms. Prof. Buchner asserts that "spectrum analysis has brought
about the highly important conviction of the unity of what is to us the
visible universe." And Prof. Shaler of Harvard declares, "the unity of
life is the greatest discovery of the nineteenth century." The infinite
diversity in nature first fixed the attention of investigators; now its
infinite unity is the marvel which excites their wonder and admiration.
Now the unity of matter, force and physical life are accepted by the
ablest thinkers.
This all tends to prove the inhabitability of all suns and worlds. Prof.
Huxley put himself on record as believing in intelligent organic life in
other worlds, in the following vigorous language: "Looking at the matter
from the most rigidly scientific point of view, the assumption that amid
the myriads of worlds scattered through endless space there can be no
intelligence as much greater than man's as his is greater than a black
beetle's, is not merely baseless but impertinent. Without stepping
beyond the analogy of that which is known, it is easy to people the
cosmos with entities in ascending scale, until we reach something
practicably indistinguishable from omnipotence, omnipresence,
omniscience.
"If our intelligence can in some matters surely reproduce the past of
thousands of years ago, and anticipate the future thousands of years
hence, it is clearly within the limit of possibility that some greater
intellect even of the same order may be able to mirror the whole of the
past and future."
This is a masterly statement that demolishes Alfred Russell Wallace's
little arguments like a trip-hammer would an eggshell. Ruskin also saw
much good in the idea of life in other worlds above us, "in creatures as
much nobler than ours as ours is nobler than that of the dust."
When once the unity and universality of force and electric life are made
clear, and spirit and psychic life in their immortal destiny are made
manifest, as thinking creatures we are led upward to a larger
development of life and power, dominated by a supreme intelligence we
call Deity, Infinite Goodness and Spiritual Father. Then we remember
that he has assured us in the sacred oracles, that "we shall be with Him
and shall be like Him," and that there are many mansions in the skies.
Our scientists tell us there are living creatures so small and so
numerous that it would take millions of worlds like ours to support a
human population equal to the number of these creatures that can live
and move in one cubic inch of space. Some of these multiply at the rate
of one hundred and seventy thousand millions in a hundred hours. And I
say every one is a tiny electric machine.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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