Bodin on Heliocentrism
After Copernicus published De Revolutionibus in 1543, acceptance of the idea that the Earth orbited the Sun was neither immediate nor universal. Some appealed to common sense:
No one in his senses, or imbued with the slightest knowledge of physics will ever think that the earth, heavy and unwieldy from its own weight and mass, staggers up and down around its own centre and that of the sun; for at the slightest jar of the earth, we would see cities and fortresses, towns and mountains thrown down.
— Jean Bodin (1529–1596), quoted in Peter Watson, Ideas, (New York : HarperCollins, 2005), p. 517
Isn't it interesting how some common sense becomes uncommon.
In: All, Common-Place Book, It's Only Rocket Science
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on Wednesday, 27 February 2008 at 23.38
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De Revolutionibus. Sheesh, I could've sworn that was a rock-musical number from the film version of "Hair" that wound up on the cutting room floor.
Seriously, after reading "for at the slightest jar of the earth, we would see cities and fortresses, towns and mountains thrown down, it's a sign of progress he didn't conclude, ". . . so that they would slide off the edge."