BROADCASTS.com

b'Thony Christie, historian of science and proprietor of the Renaissance Mathematicus and Whewell’s Ghost stops by to talk about Galileo, Newton, the Copernican controversy, and why it was smart to believe that the Earth didn’t move.
\\nThe story of how we came to understand that the Earth was not the center of the Universe is one of the most fascinating stories in the whole of the history of science. The debate over Copernicus’ heliocentric model lasted for centuries, and was carried out by mathematicians, theologians, philosophers and scientists. Observational evidence initially favored a geocentric model, and definitive proof did not appear until long after the first precise data (captured by Tycho Brahe and compiled by Kepler) had persuaded most scientists of their truth.
\\nIndependent scholar Thony Christie takes us through the debate on this episode of Startup Geometry.
\\n 
\\n
\\n[0.0.16] How did you get into the study of the History of Science? Eric Temple Bell Men of Mathematics. History of Mathematics and Logic: Church\\u2019s list of formal logicians, Boole, Jevons, and others.
\\n 
\\n[0.3.50] Renaissance Mathematicus and Whewell\\u2019s Gazette/Whewell\\u2019s Ghost (Whewell pronounced \\u201cHewell\\u201d). John Wilkins, historian of biology.
\\n 
\\n[0.6.30] What was a \\u201cmathematicus\\u201d? Fields of study: astrology, astronomy, mathematics, cartography, design of engines of war, (sun)dialing, volumetrics.
\\n 
\\nLeonardo DaVinci once sent a letter describing his skills in some of these areas.
\\n 
\\n[0.14.46] Christoff Clavius. The Galileo Affair. Heliocentricity. Cardinal Barberini. Who can interpret the Bible? Cardinal Bellarmine. The difference between proof and speculation.
\\n 
\\n[0.27.00] Giordano Bruno. Miguel Serveto (Servetus).
\\n 
\\n[0.28.14] Newton. Newton & alchemy. Newton & religion. Kepler. Prisca Theologia.
\\n 
\\n[0.35.44] Interpreting Early Modern systems of thought. Lawrence Principe and William R Newman\\u2019s modern alchemical experiments. Phlogiston. Problems with turning lead into gold. (Not a problem for us, but requires a huge particle accelerator.) Roger Bacon.
\\n 
\\n[0.44.23] Newton predicted the end of the world (not before 2060). Other predictions of the end of the world. Jehovah\\u2019s Witnesses. The University of Chicago study of the Millerites.
\\n 
\\n[0.47.47] Discussion of the various Renaissance world systems or models of the universe. Why it\\u2019s obvious that the Earth doesn\\u2019t move. Tycho Brahe. Johannes Kepler. Gilbert, On the Magnet. How it was finally proved that the Earth does move. Chris Graney on star sizes, Setting Aside All Authority. Torricelli.
\\n 
\\n[1.00.00] The Rudolphine Tables. Not proof, but Kepler\\u2019s system fits the data, so Kepler\\u2019s model is probably right. Heliometers and elliptical orbits. Bradley, 1725, finds elliptical movement of stars due to Earth\\u2019s movement. Christiaan Huygens. The Earth bulges at the Equator and is flattened at the poles. Later confirmed by stellar parallax, Bessel, 1838.
\\n 
\\n[1.08.18] Book recommendations. Richard Westfall, Life of Isaac Newton. John Heilbronn, Galileo. Chris Graney, Setting Aside All Authority. Eric Scerri, The Periodic Table. My recs: Deborah Harkness, The Jewel House of Nature. (she also rediscovered The Book of Soyga, which was part of John Dee\\u2019s library, and is also a really good fiction writer.) Lost Enlightenment S. Frederick Starr.
\\n 
'