Heliocentric theory not new.

[Guest guest]

It is true I believe that many of the ancient Greeks supported the Earth as

being the unmoving center of the system, as in the following :

 

>From the time of Aristotle and the ancient Greeks,

>the thinking was that the Earth does not rotate, does not orbit around

>the Sun, but the celestial sphere (carrying the Sun on it) rotates

>around the Earth making the Sun rise in the east and set in the west

>daily. Copernicus simply put a different interpretation to this daily

 

However there were notable exceptions among the Pythagoreans who believed

the earth rotated around the central fire of the sun. The Pythagoreans also

speculated that there was a counter earth, a planet rotating opposite the

sun and hence out of view from our earth. Some bellieve this was developed

because the Pythagoreans thought there should be ten heavenly bodies to

make a perfect system and the tenth body would be the hidden earth. The

hidden planet was also postulated for eclipses much as the concept of

planet of Ketu was postulated in the Hindu system. As Pythagoras was

believed to have travelled widely in the ancient world, some speculate he

also visited India and the hidden earth idea may have borrowed from the

Hindus as well as some of his other teachings on vegetarianism,

reincarnation, etc. - Art

 

 

lgregory

[Guest guest]

On Sat, 12 Jun 1999, Linda Gregory and family wrote:

> lgregory (Linda Gregory and family)

>

>

> It is true I believe that many of the ancient Greeks supported the Earth as

> being the unmoving center of the system, as in the following :

>

>

> >From the time of Aristotle and the ancient Greeks,

> >the thinking was that the Earth does not rotate, does not orbit around

> >the Sun, but the celestial sphere (carrying the Sun on it) rotates

> >around the Earth making the Sun rise in the east and set in the west

> >daily. Copernicus simply put a different interpretation to this daily

>

> However there were notable exceptions among the Pythagoreans who believed

> the earth rotated around the central fire of the sun. The Pythagoreans also

> speculated that there was a counter earth, a planet rotating opposite the

> sun and hence out of view from our earth. Some bellieve this was developed

> because the Pythagoreans thought there should be ten heavenly bodies to

> make a perfect system and the tenth body would be the hidden earth. The

> hidden planet was also postulated for eclipses much as the concept of

> planet of Ketu was postulated in the Hindu system. As Pythagoras was

> believed to have travelled widely in the ancient world, some speculate he

> also visited India and the hidden earth idea may have borrowed from the

> Hindus as well as some of his other teachings on vegetarianism,

> reincarnation, etc. - Art

>

>

> lgregory

>

 

namaste.

 

It may be slightly off the objective of the List, but let me respond.

You are quite correct in saying that the heliocentric thinking is not

new that came up only after Copernicus' time. In addition to the

counter-Earth (another planet which shared the orbit of the Earth

around the Sun) which you pointed out, there are other aspects of

heliocentric thinking in pre-Copernicus time. For example, Aristarchus

mentions the possibility of Earth orbiting around the Sun (rather the

other way round) during his estimates of the relative sizes and

distances of the Sun, Moon and the Earth. However, Aristotlean thinking

is the one that predominated from around 200 BCE to 1400's. The

heliocentric thinking took a firm foothold only after Copernicus' time.

 

A parallel to this in advaita is: Shri Shankara is not the one

who started the advaita philosophy. It was there in the upanishads

and in GauDapAda kArikA. However, it is only after Shri Shankara's

time that advaita took a firm foothold.

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

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