Difference between revisions of "The Ancient Greeks"
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{{cite2|Although we condemn flat-Earth thinking as an example of foolish ignorance, a spherical Earth is actually counterintuitive. It’s such a radical idea that it has been ‘discovered’ only once, in Athens after 400 BCE. The concept of the Earth being round didn’t appear in any other civilisation. India and the Islamic world learnt it from the Greeks, while China had to wait until the Jesuits arrived in the 16th century and turned the Chinese view of the Universe upside down.|Historian of science Dr.James Hannam ([https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2981365.James_Hannam bio]), author of "God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science" ([https://aeon.co/essays/lucretius-the-flat-earth-and-the-malaise-of-modern-science Quote Source])}} | {{cite2|Although we condemn flat-Earth thinking as an example of foolish ignorance, a spherical Earth is actually counterintuitive. It’s such a radical idea that it has been ‘discovered’ only once, in Athens after 400 BCE. The concept of the Earth being round didn’t appear in any other civilisation. India and the Islamic world learnt it from the Greeks, while China had to wait until the Jesuits arrived in the 16th century and turned the Chinese view of the Universe upside down.|Historian of science Dr.James Hannam ([https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2981365.James_Hannam bio]), author of "God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science" ([https://aeon.co/essays/lucretius-the-flat-earth-and-the-malaise-of-modern-science Quote Source])}} | ||
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==Aristotle's Round Earth Proofs== | ==Aristotle's Round Earth Proofs== | ||
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* [[Eratosthenes on Diameter]]<br> | * [[Eratosthenes on Diameter]]<br> | ||
* [[Distance to the Sun]] | * [[Distance to the Sun]] | ||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Continuous Universe== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Ancient Greeks believed in a Continuous Universe. This Ancient Greek concept of a perfect universe assumes the following: | ||
| + | <div style="margin-bottom:0.5em; margin-left:2em"> | ||
| + | * That perfect circles can exist | ||
| + | * That one could zoom into a circle forever and see a curve | ||
| + | * That any length of space can be divided into infinitely smaller parts | ||
| + | * That the space can be infinitely long | ||
| + | * Time can likewise be infinitely divided, or infinitely long | ||
| + | * Light rays travel in perfectly straight lines into infinity | ||
| + | * The Perspective Lines receded infinitely and continuously into the distance | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
[[Category:Ancient Greeks]] | [[Category:Ancient Greeks]] | ||
Revision as of 21:57, 25 November 2019
The the theory of a Round Earth began in antiquity. Championed by Aristotle, the concept of the Earth's rotundity spread with other Greek science around the world, establishing itself as a cornerstone of Western civilization.
“ Although we condemn flat-Earth thinking as an example of foolish ignorance, a spherical Earth is actually counterintuitive. It’s such a radical idea that it has been ‘discovered’ only once, in Athens after 400 BCE. The concept of the Earth being round didn’t appear in any other civilisation. India and the Islamic world learnt it from the Greeks, while China had to wait until the Jesuits arrived in the 16th century and turned the Chinese view of the Universe upside down. ”
—Historian of science Dr.James Hannam (bio), author of "God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science" (Quote Source)
Aristotle's Round Earth Proofs
There are three proofs Aristotle gave for the supposed rotundity of the earth. They are:
Eratosthenes' Shadow Experiment
Eratosthenes is famed for his shadow experiment where he determined the circumference of the Round Earth and the distance to the sun. However, this experiment assumes that the earth is a globe and that the sun is far away. The experiment can also be interpreted under a Flat Earth model as well. See:
Continuous Universe
The Ancient Greeks believed in a Continuous Universe. This Ancient Greek concept of a perfect universe assumes the following:
- That perfect circles can exist
- That one could zoom into a circle forever and see a curve
- That any length of space can be divided into infinitely smaller parts
- That the space can be infinitely long
- Time can likewise be infinitely divided, or infinitely long
- Light rays travel in perfectly straight lines into infinity
- The Perspective Lines receded infinitely and continuously into the distance