Dr Faustus of Modern Physics - Department of Speech, Music and ...
Dr Faustus of Modern Physics - Department of Speech, Music and ...
Dr Faustus of Modern Physics - Department of Speech, Music and ...
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Chapter 49<br />
Galileo’s Dialog<br />
By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox... All<br />
truths are easy to underst<strong>and</strong> once they are discovered; the point is to<br />
discover them... I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn’t<br />
learn something from him... It is surely harmful to souls to make it a<br />
heresy to believe what is proved.<br />
The Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems was a 1632 Italian<br />
bestseller by Galileo Galilei comparing the Copernican system with the<br />
traditional Ptolemaic system. The book is presented as a series <strong>of</strong> discussions,<br />
over a span <strong>of</strong> four days, among two philosophers <strong>and</strong> a layman:<br />
• Salviati is an academician arguing for the Copernican position<br />
• Sagredo is an intelligent layman who is initially neutral.<br />
• Simplicio is a dedicated follower <strong>of</strong> Ptolemy <strong>and</strong> Aristotle, <strong>and</strong> presents<br />
the traditional views <strong>and</strong> the arguments against the Copernican position.<br />
In the next chapters we revive Salvati <strong>and</strong> Sagredo <strong>and</strong> equip them with<br />
with a computer <strong>and</strong> a surfboard allowing them to surf both the Internet<br />
<strong>and</strong> physical reality.<br />
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