[lit-ideas] Re: Sherlock Holmes on knowledge of the solar system and the workings of the brain
- From: "Paul Stone" <pastone@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 11:18:51 -0400
I've seen many "Ptolemaic" mechanical models; they all have tiny little "L"
> shaped posts to show what
> "epicycles" look like. But these don't convey to the observer that the
> OBSERVATION of the system is
> identical in both models. What I want to do is to show that the "facts" in
> both models are the same.
> None of the "epicycle" models looks like it has the same "facts." Having a
> replaceable earth/sun model
> should generate identical motions to the Birmingham Museum Ptolemaic model,
> but in a way that shows
> it's just a different mathematical model, not a different set of facts.
>
Okay, here's an "Andy" anecdote. I read somewhere, a few years ago, a
conversation between two people -- may have been real
scientists/philosophers from some time ago, may have been two
characters in a novel -- who were discussing the possibility that the
Sun revolved around the Earth vs. the Earth revolving around the Sun.
It was set up sort of a platonic/socratic dialogue.
It went something like this:
1 Man: The Earth revolves around the sun.
2 Man: But it appears that the Sun revolves around the Earth
1 Man: That is only because of the daily rotation of the Earth as it
revolves on its access
2 Man: But it LOOKS like we are revolving around the Sun
1 Man: It does.
2 Man; What would it look like if the Sun DID revolve around the Earth?
1 Man:[insert answer here]
is that what you are looking for?
p
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