3 ms·

> heliocentrism predicted a parallax Also, they didn’t have a theory of gravity so the lack of a sensation of moving with the earth and the fact that objects f

> heliocentrism predicted a parallax Also, they didn’t have a theory of gravity so the lack of a sensation of moving with the earth and the fact that objects fall straight down were not expected unless the earth was stationary. There were also other more philosophical arguments for geocentrism that were compelling given the cosmology and science of the time. > I thought this was a commonly known fact… evidently not. Especially given how this is tied up with the common use of the Galileo affair as an example of faith vs science despite faith being common between Galileo and the Church Authorities to which he ran afoul.

tzs 3y ago
Galileo and the Church had the same fundamental belief: the Universe was designed by an all-powerful God and that God picked laws of physics that were mathematically elegant and beautiful. The Church was not nearly as closed-minded about heliocentric theories in Galileo's time as is commonly thought. Their position was that if empirical evidence clearly showed that the universe did not work the way the Church thought that the Bible said it worked then the Church must have misinterpreted the Bible. The problem with Galileo's heliocentric theory was that it was empirically not correct. If some observation didn't fit in with his theory and changing the theory to accommodate it would make the theory ugly or inelegant Galileo would dismiss that observation as observational error. God, he believed, would not make an inelegant universe. What got him in trouble with the Church wasn't that he proposed a heliocentric theory. It was a combination of 5 things. 1. His theory wasn't better than the best current geocentric theories at actually predicting things. 2. He had a very big ego. 3. He was an asshole. If he saw you are a rival or as an inferior he was intolerant and rude to you. Because of his big ego, "inferior" included pretty much everybody. 4. He was a celebrity. The rich and powerful would regularly invite him to attend their gatherings. 5. He had a terrible sense of politics. #4 regular brought him in contact with people who could make his life miserable if he annoyed them too much, and #2 and #3 ensured the he did so.
- geoduck14 3y ago
  Oh, wow. This is pretty different from what I learned in school. Where can I read more about this?
  - tzs 3y ago
    The article linked in this comment [1] is good. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39582243 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39582243
- bazoom42 3y ago
  There have been a concerted effort to reframe the story because it remains so embarassing to the church. Yeah it is true Gallileo was arrogant and failed at playing the politicial game. He might have avoided the conflict if he had been better at sucking up to the pope. However, the church forbade heliocentric theories up until the middle of the eighteenth century, long after Kepler and Newton. So clearly it wasn’t a question of evidence.

tzs 3y ago

Galileo and the Church had the same fundamental belief: the Universe was designed by an all-powerful God and that God picked laws of physics that were mathematically elegant and beautiful. The Church was not nearly as closed-minded about heliocentric theories in Galileo's time as is commonly thought. Their position was that if empirical evidence clearly showed that the universe did not work the way the Church thought that the Bible said it worked then the Church must have misinterpreted the Bible. The problem with Galileo's heliocentric theory was that it was empirically not correct. If some observation didn't fit in with his theory and changing the theory to accommodate it would make the theory ugly or inelegant Galileo would dismiss that observation as observational error. God, he believed, would not make an inelegant universe. What got him in trouble with the Church wasn't that he proposed a heliocentric theory. It was a combination of 5 things. 1. His theory wasn't better than the best current geocentric theories at actually predicting things. 2. He had a very big ego. 3. He was an asshole. If he saw you are a rival or as an inferior he was intolerant and rude to you. Because of his big ego, "inferior" included pretty much everybody. 4. He was a celebrity. The rich and powerful would regularly invite him to attend their gatherings. 5. He had a terrible sense of politics. #4 regular brought him in contact with people who could make his life miserable if he annoyed them too much, and #2 and #3 ensured the he did so.

geoduck14 3y ago
Oh, wow. This is pretty different from what I learned in school. Where can I read more about this?
- tzs 3y ago
  The article linked in this comment [1] is good. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39582243 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39582243
bazoom42 3y ago
There have been a concerted effort to reframe the story because it remains so embarassing to the church. Yeah it is true Gallileo was arrogant and failed at playing the politicial game. He might have avoided the conflict if he had been better at sucking up to the pope. However, the church forbade heliocentric theories up until the middle of the eighteenth century, long after Kepler and Newton. So clearly it wasn’t a question of evidence.