[WikiEN-l] Wikipedia:Fringe noticeboards/Theory

[geni]

On 7/8/07, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
> geni wrote:
>
> >On 7/7/07, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>The oblate spheroid shape of the earth was not likely observable in
> >>Aristotle's time.  Such a deviation from Aristotle's conclusion that the
> >>Earth was a sphere is trivial.
> >>
> >>
> >No because the Aristotelian model assumed perfect geometric shapes
> >(see the shape of the orbitals). The perfect sphere thing also runs
> >into problems if you manage to spot Baily's beads during an eclipse.
> >
> Did Aristotle ever observe Baily's beads?

Not that we know of but they were observable (mid you technically the
Greeks could have built telescopes and observed the mountains on the
moon directly)



>How perfect is a perfect
> sphere.  Aristotle never denied the existence of hills and mountains.

The Aristotelian Model treated the earth slightly differently from the
heavens. While in the case of the moon some corruption from earth was
suggested I don't think that included mountains. Not sure what they
thought of sun spots (can just about be seen with the naked eye in
some cases).


> >Such a deviation was not trivial at all then because it would involve
> >tearing apart a key part of the model.
> >
> It's trivial enough to be beyond the observational powers of the time.

Tycho Brahe demonstrated this is not the case.



> Charlotte did not mention falsificationism and Popper, you did.  You
> also introduced the word "decent."  It is presumptuous to suggest that
> she even knew about Popper.


Trying to argue the philosophy of science without knowing about Popper
would be tricky.


-- 
geni