As we know that the laws of mechanics are also valid in the world of objects such as artillery shells, rockets, airplanes, asteroïd and all that is substantial enough to be seen with the naked eye, this world where we consider only phenomenally huge objects in comparison is implicitly the macrocosm. The laws of mechanics are valid in the domain of atomic and sub-atomic particles and the microcosm relative to this domain is space in which only small particles are to be found (electrons, protons, atoms, for instance) the expanse of space itself is immaterial: it can be as small as that occupied by a speck of dust, and smaller, or as vast as that in the cathode ray tubes in ancient TV sets, and much bigger what matters is that only small particles of the type mentioned are in it. To take a subject with which I am familiar only to a very small extent but still sufficiently for drawing an example from it, let's see how this concept might apply in physics. In some cases, the interaction is simply determined (first example below), in others it is unbelievably complex and require much discussion (second example), as in the domain of sociology, for instance. In order to use thses terms there must be a possible comparison of the particular interaction as it applies to both, or a comparison of the effects of this interaction in both worlds. One cannot be presupposed without the other being implied according to the interaction that is discussed in the first. It is generally the case that when in a discussion one has recourse to a term such as "microcosm" or "macrocosm" this is done subject to an explicit or implicit definition of the particular "cosmsos" or "world" that thoses words represent in the discussion. In each of these examples, "macrocosm" and "microcosm" seem to convey the sense of "a place, locality, situation, or event that encapsulates certain qualities/features of the person/thing it represents" The audience was selected to create a microcosm of American society. The dynamic acts as a microcosm for Edinburgh's own theological development "He sees the auto industry as a microcosm of the U.S. We regarded the struggle in prison as a microcosm of the struggle as a whole.įarmville, the town that Dorothy left behind in the 1940s, had become in the 1950s a microcosm of America's struggle over integration in its public school In other words, the macrocosm of the cosmos is reflected in the microcosm of individual experience You can see its effects in the macrocosm of HIV infections.īut the flower choker holds a unique place in the macrocosm of the early aughts revival The physics that works for falling bodies and pirouetting ice skaters down here in the microcosm of the Earth makes galaxies up there in the macrocosm of the universe. (Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any example sentences for this definition of microcosm)ġ)In other words, the macrocosm of the cosmos is reflected in the microcosm of individual experience Human beings, humanity, society, or the like, viewed as an epitome or miniature of the world or universe. (expanded version: A small, representative system having analogies to a larger system in constitution, configuration, or development)Īnything that is regarded as a world in miniature. a little world a world in miniature (opposed to macrocosm).(Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any sample sentences for this definition of macrocosm) The total or entire complex structure of something A system reflecting on a large scale one of its component systems or parts.Ī representation of a smaller unit or entity by a larger one, presumably of a similar structure. (Expanded version: the whole of a complex structure, especially the world or the universe, contrasted with a small or representative part of it. the great world or universe the universe considered as a whole (opposed to microcosm). I've done some sleuthing on some online dictionaries to make sense of these words, but I can't see the difference.
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