The hypothesis of an expanding Earth has never attracted notable support,
and if it were not for the historical example of continental drift, such
indifference might be a legitimate response to an apparently improbable
concept. It should be remembered, however, that drift too was once regarded as
illusory, but the idea was kept alive until evidence from physicists compelled
geologists to reinterpret their data.
Of course, it would be as dangerous to overreact to history by concluding
that the majority must now be wrong about expansion as it would be to reenact
the response that greeted the suggestion that the continents had drifted. The
cases are not precisely analogous. There were serious problems with the
pre-drift world view that a drift theory could help to resolve, whereas Earth
expansion appears to offer no comparable advantages. If, however, physicists
could show that the Earth’s gravitational force has decreased with time, expansion
would have to be reconsidered and accommodated.
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