HUYGENS, Christian, (1629-95) Kosmotheoros, sive de Terris Coelestibus, earumque ornatu conjecturae... - Den Haag, Moetjens, 1698
4to. Contemp. vellum. With 6 folding engr. plates (numb. 1-5, plate 4 is in 2 different states). (4), 144 pp.; uniform browning throughout, old library stamps on title, and very small wormholes on covers slightly affecting first 3 text leaves and last 2 plates.
First edition of a very popular work in which the great Dutch scientist expounds his theories about life on other planets. «Huygens' reasoning is that it is in the creation of life and living beings that the wisdom and providence of God are most manifest. In the Copernican world system - which is sufficiently proved as agreeing with reality - the earth holds no privileged position among the other planets. It would therefore be unreasonable to suppose that life should be restricted to earth alone. There must be life on the other planets and living beings endowed with reason who can contemplate the richness of the creation, since in their absence this creation would be senseless and the earth, again, would have an unreasonably privileged position. In further discussions of the different functions of living organisms and rational beings, Huygens came to the conclusion that, in all probability, the plant and animal worlds of other planets are very like those of the earth. He also surmised that the inhabitants of other planets would have a culture similar to man's and would cultivate the sciences. In the second part of Cosmotheros, Huygens discussed the different movements of the heavenly bodies and how they must appear to the inhabitants of the planets. He took the occasion to mention new advances in astronomy. In contrast to most other Huygensian writings, Cosmotheros has had wide appeal and a broad readership, and has been translated into several languages» (DSB VI, 611).
Euro3400
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