Re: what has happened to people

On Apr 30, 2:27 pm, AustinMN <tacooper...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Apr 29, 9:18 am, Chris L Peterson <c...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 29 Apr 2007 05:25:36 -0700, AustinMN <tacooper...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I find the very concept of an astronomer trying to make authoritarian
comments on religion as unsound as a priest trying to make
authoritarian comments on astronomy.

Feynman's comment didn't involve the discussion of any particular
religious doctrine (which would require specific knowledge), but the
rather obvious observation that virtually every religion puts Man at the
center of things and has little or nothing to say about the rest of the
Universe.

Except that this is wrong. There have been some adherents to certain
religions who have done this, but most religions put God at the center
of the universe, at least figuratively speaking. Those who think
otherwise have failed to dig below the very surface of almost any
major religion.

It's similar to going to a star party and coming away thinking
"astronomy is all about constellations." Well, no, that's a part of
it, but a very small part in this day and age.

Austin


On Apr 29, 1:25 pm, AustinMN <tacooper...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I find the very concept of an astronomer trying to make authoritarian
comments on religion as unsound as a priest trying to make
authoritarian comments on astronomy.

Austin

The same intutive intelligence which is central to astronomers is
present in those of faith.The reason that you cannot handle basic
astronomical insights is that you have had the intutive intelligence
beaten out of you through indoctrination.No doubt the idea that
Copernicus was a priest would hardly alter minds brought up to believe
Christian opposition to heliocentric reasoning much less that
Copernicus wrote to the pope knowing that he would have a working
knowledge of the ins and outs of the change between Ptolemaic
astronomy and the dramatic view based on axial and orbital motions.

The concerns of Copernicus was not Church opposition but rather his
work would be destroyed by those unable to handle the precepts
involved.His worse fears have come to pass -

"Therefore I debated with myself for a long time whether to publish
the volume which I wrote to prove the earth's motion or rather to
follow the example of the Pythagoreans and certain others, who used to
transmit philosophy's secrets only to kinsmen and friends, not in
writing but by word of mouth, as is shown by Lysis' letter to
Hipparchus. And they did so, it seems to me, not, as some suppose,
because they were in some way jealous about their teachings, which
would be spread around; on the contrary, they wanted the very
beautiful thoughts attained by great men of deep devotion not to be
ridiculed by those who are reluctant to exert themselves vigorously in
any literary pursuit unless it is lucrative; or if they are stimulated
to the nonacquisitive study of philosophy by the exhortation and
example of others, yet because of their dullness of mind they play the
same part among philosophers as drones among bees. When I weighed
these considerations, the scorn which I had reason to fear on account
of the novelty and unconventionality of my opinion almost induced me
to abandon completely the work which I had undertaken." Copernicus

http://webexhibits.org/calendars/year-text-Copernicus.html

It was always the absence of astronomers that mattered rather than the
presence of the empirical drones and their mantras yet it can all be
undone beginining with a simple sequence of images of the Earth
overtaking the slower moving planets -

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0112/JuSa2000_tezel.gif





















.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: introduction in astronomy in Arab
    ... > faith in Islam simply because it isn't faith in Christianity. ... > Christianity displays quite a bit of both sides of religion. ... What little you comprehend of Western astronomy is not worth passing on ... The Islamics don't need 'saving' by Western cataloguing however I ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • [OT] Religious Author Quotes Astronomer
    ... Verbatim quoted opening paragraphs from "In Defense of the Faith" by Dave ... What passes for religious faith is often adherence to a particular religion ... Anyway, I don't think astronomy is so divided from religion, and I think ... when they are totally irrelevant to the newsgroup. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: OT: Why is s.a.a. a target for religious discussion?
    ... There are certain branches of science that threaten the dogma of many ... Astronomy is clearly one of these ... As a rule these discussions don't start by discussing religion, ... the resolution for retrogrades as proposed by Copernicus or accept an ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: Right on topic
    ... and astronomy at Moorpark College." ... science and religion to spark debate." ... science gave you antibiotics, iPods and cellphones. ... college is a state college, or if it receives federal grant money. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: what has happened to people
    ... authoritarian comments on astronomy. ... religious doctrine, ... rather obvious observation that virtually every religion puts Man at the ... You hardly need to be trained as a priest to point this out. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)