1114. What a small number of people there would be in a span of
6000. years, even if there were thousands of worlds
The inhabitants of the planet Jupiter saw that I had thought about the number of people or souls, if there were a thousand planets filled with inhabitants, such as our earth, over a period of 6000 years. I then figured for them that the populace of a thousand planets over 6000 years would not fill the space that their planet appears to us to contain.
Taking one generation as 35 years, in 6000 years 171 3:7 generations would arise from it. Therefore, if the people living today on this earth multiplied 171 3:7 times, they would not fill up a thousandth part of the surface of that planet. And then if the space to the center of the planet were counted as living-space, one might conclude that if there were thousands of planets, even tens of thousands, in the universe, then to our eyes, a globe of so many tens of thousands would not appear as large as the globe of their earth. Yet still it is such a small quantity as to be almost nothing compared to the universe. Moreover, if the universe were filled [with people] from one end to the other, [their number] would still be as nothing to the infinite Lord. 1748, 1 March.
1114. HOW INSIGNIFICANT WOULD BE THE NUMBER OF MEN DURING THE SPACE OF 6000 YEARS EVEN IF THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF WORLDS
The inhabitants of the planet Jupiter perceived that I had been thinking about the multitude of men or souls there would be during the space of 6000 years, if there were a thousand earths filled with inhabitants like our earth. I then made this calculation for them: that if there were a thousand earths for 6000 years, the people would not fill a space as great as that which their earth appears to us to occupy. Let one generation be 35 years: within 6000 years there would then arise 171 3/7 generations. If, therefore, the number of people living on this earth at the present day were multiplied by 171 3/7, they would not fill a thousandth part of the surface of this earth. If the space to the center of the earth be taken as the space to be considered, it can thence be concluded that if there were thousands, yea myriads, of earths in the universe, a globe of so many myriads of people would not appear before our eyes as great as their earth. Thus the quantity would still be so insignificant as to be almost nothing in respect to the universe. Moreover, if the universe were filled from one end to the other, it would still be nothing whatever before the Infinite Lord. 748, Mar. 1.
1114. Quam exigua copia hominum foret, si vel millia mundorum forent, intra 6000 annos
Incolae telluris Jovis percipiebant, quod cogitaverim de multitudine hominum, seu animarum, si mille tellures fuissent, incolis referti {a}, sicut nostra tellus, intra 6000 annos; tunc iis calculabam, quod si millia tellurum intra 6000 annos, homines non implerent tale spatium quale apparet tellus eorum coram nobis; generatio una sit 35 annorum, inde exsurgunt intra 6000 annos 171 3/7 generationes, si itaque homines in hac tellure hodie viventes, multiplicarentur per 171 3/7, tunc illi non millesimam partem superficiei hujus telluris implerent, et si jam spatium ad centrum telluris, ut spatium haberetur, capiatur, inde concludi potest, quod si millia tellurum, imo myriades forent in universo, tunc coram culis nostris non appareret globus tot myriadum tam magnus ac eorum telluris; sic tam exigua usque quantitas est, ut paene nihil sit, respectu ad universum, praeterea, si impleretur universum, ab uno fine ad alterum, usque nihil usquam forent, Domino infinito. 1748, 1 Martius.