Historic Dispute : Is Earth the Center of the Universe?
Viewpoint: Yes, early scientists believed that what appeared to be movement around Earth by the Sun and other entities was, in fact, just that.
Viewpoint: No, later scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo correctly realized that Earth moves around the Sun, not vice versa, and thus cannot be the center of the universe.
It is easy in our human nature to believe that we are the center of the universe. A newborn infant must learn through experimentation and sensation that he is a part of the world, not the entirety. Any parent can attest that as children mature, they must be helped to understand that the universe does not revolve around them and their needs and desires. Even as adults, we often struggle to see the world from a perspective other than our own.
Likewise, it was natural for ancient peoples to assume that the universe they observed was centered upon Earth. After all, they saw the Sun rise in the east every morning, and set in the west at night. They saw the stars and planets appearing to move across the sky. These patterns were repeated in cycles, and cycles implied revolution.
This page contains 201 words.
Historic Dispute: Is Earth the Center of the Universe article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 5,201 words
(approx. 17 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Nicolaus Copernicus Article
