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> We also believe that the sun rotates around the Earth. Is it possible to prove that the sun doesn't rotate around the earth other than saying "the supporting

• GavinMcG 9y ago
  What do you mean by "prove"? Yes, you can define the earth as stationary, but if you're taking that definition seriously – rather than just doing it to make the math easier within that frame of reference, or for rhetorical purposes – if you're taking it seriously then you've got a whole host of implications that you have to explain. For example, why is Earth stationary, with the sun rotating around it, while all the other planets rotate around the sun? Given what else we know about gravity, how do you account for the sun with its huge mass orbiting the relatively tiny mass of Earth? One response is that you throw those "known" things out as well, and so on down the rabbit hole. We prefer theories to be coherent with the rest of our knowledge. Depending on the extent to which you're willing to dispense with that – and to dispense with a huge number of claims we take as settled – sure, you can choose to hold on to basically any view. The question is why you're holding on to that and throwing out the rest.