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Talk:Geocentric theory (view source)
Revision as of 19:34, November 5, 2008
, 19:34, November 5, 2008→Ptolemy's view of a stationary earth
: Thanks. I do not have access to an Almagest in English. Does Ptolemy give any more explanation? Did he know that other Greeks suggested that the Earth goes around the Sun? Does he give arguments as to why they were wrong? Does he think that it matters? Ptolemy also said some wrong stuff about astrology, so I am trying to get this in context. [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 14:13, 5 November 2008 (EST)
: Thanks. I do not have access to an Almagest in English. Does Ptolemy give any more explanation? Did he know that other Greeks suggested that the Earth goes around the Sun? Does he give arguments as to why they were wrong? Does he think that it matters? Ptolemy also said some wrong stuff about astrology, so I am trying to get this in context. [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 14:13, 5 November 2008 (EST)
::I'll post some excerpts the next days - I couldn't get Toomer's translation, so I'll get the one from the Encyclopaedia Britannica (Karl Manitius is German.)
::Ptolemy is very explicit in his reasoning - and in his rejection of concurring theories. Fortunately, the ''Almagest'' doesn't include astrological mumbo-jumbo, but only observations, calculations and (sometimes the wrong) conclusions. His reasoning about the spherical shape of the earth is excellent when he excludes other possible shapes.
::OTOH, he's well aware that "some astronomers propose a system in which the earth rotates roughly once a day from west to east, while the firmament stands still" (Aristarch's idea,BTW, whom he doesn't mention). Ptolemy goes to some length to show how ridiculous such an idea is. Similarly, he excludes an linearly moving earth.
::--[[User:BRichtigen|BRichtigen]] 14:34, 5 November 2008 (EST)