The discovery of Copernicus was a scientific discovery about the solar
system and has nothing to do with humans. He may have displaced the earth,
but we know nothing about displacing humans. Moorad
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ted Davis <tdavis@messiah.edu>
>To: asa@calvin.edu <asa@calvin.edu>
>Date: Sunday, August 05, 2001 10:39 PM
>Subject: Copernicus was wrong?
>
>
>>Glenn Morton writes (correctly) that Copernicus is usually credited with
>>moving humans out of the center. However, as I have noted in other forums
>>several times, this very common notion is very wrong. In short,
Copernicus
>>did not move humanity from the center--because we were never there!
>Ptolemy
>>and others since antiquity were well aware of the earth's approximate size
>>and shape, and medieval intellectuals were fully aware that we are a very
>>significant 4000 miles from the "center" of the universe. Furthermore, it
>>was not desireable to be in the center at all, for that's where hell was
>>thought to be. This feature of Copernicanism--moving humanity away from
>the
>>center--did not bother people at the time; what bothered them was the
>>ridiculous claim that the earth is moving.
>>
>>The myth that Copernicus assaulted human dignity may have been invented by
>>Freud, as part of a selve-serving idea that Copernicus moved us out of the
>>center, Darwin reduced our uniqueness, and he (Freud) had assaulted our
>>rationality. I say "may have been," b/c I am not confident this part of
>>the story is right. But I'm confident the first paragraph is right.
>>
>>Ted Davis
>>
>>
>>Edward B. Davis
>>Professor of the History of Science
>>Messiah College
>>Grantham, PA 17027
>>717-766-2511 (voice)
>>717-691-6002 (fax)
>>
>
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