Reciprocating Bill
Posts: 4265
Joined: Oct. 2006
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| Quote (Zachriel @ Mar. 30 2007,13:00) | The movement of the Earth was well-established by indirect observations. Early, direct observations included Bradley's discovery of stellar aberration in 1725, Bessel's measurement of stellar parallax in 1838, and Foucault's pendulum in 1851.
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Naturally. (And I bow to your erudition - truly impressive. Should be known as Zachrudition).
But for BlarneyA, these wouldn't qualify as "direct observation." In that world, direct observation of a heliocentric solar system consists in, "see, there's the sun. And over there is a planet oribiting the sun." By that standard, the significance of the precession of a pendulum vis the rotation of the earth is strictly inferential.
Have you ever seen a cat turn into a dog?
I thought not.
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Myth: Something that never was true, and always will be.
"The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you."
- David Foster Wallace
"Here’s a clue. Snarky banalities are not a substitute for saying something intelligent. Write that down."
- Barry Arrington
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