Source: TW
Several proto-planetary discs imaged by the ALMA interferometer. It is remarkable that the German philosopher Immanuel Kant had come up with a theory of the origin of solar systems that broadly laid out the foundations of the modern theory of planetary origins in 1755 CE.
Kant had none of the modern knowledge of our own and other solar systems. Yet he connected to something deep (inspired by the ancient Roman philosopher Lucretius Rarus) when he correctly posited the formation of structures like the protoplanetary discs directly imaged here by ALMA and the formation of planets within them. This and his thoughts on natural laws lead us to regard Kant highly among the neo-Occidental philosophers.
A similar hypothesis with supporting mathematical arguments was presented much later by the French mathematician Pierre-Simon de Laplace. Laplace does not cite the German philosopher: it is not clear if he plagiarized his idea or independently arrived at it.