Apollo Astronauts Didn't Need Heavy Boots

Re:Apollo Astronauts Didn't Need Heavy Boots by Herring on Monday April 27, 2009 @01:02AM (#580892)

Meeting a friend in a corridor, Wittgenstein said: “Tell me, why do people always say that it was natural for men to assume that the sun went around the earth rather than that the earth was rotating?” His friend said, “Well, obviously, because it just looks as if the sun is going around the earth.” To which the philosopher replied, “Well, what would it have looked like if it had looked as if the earth was rotating?”

—from Jumpers5, a play by Tom Stoppard.

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Re:Apollo Astronauts Didn't Need Heavy Boots by RiderOfGiraffes on Tuesday April 28, 2009 @03:51AM (#582850)

Tom Stoppard is always a joy, but there are often points to be picked apart. Wittgenstein's friend's answer was simply wrong. The reason is that they both look the same, and the Earth feels stationary. By that observation people choose the model that feels more correct and relevant.

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Re:Apollo Astronauts Didn't Need Heavy Boots by Herring on Friday May 01, 2009 @05:16AM (#588286)

I think it's valid to assume that this was before the (galilean) principle of relativity. Even today many (most?) people don't know that it's ok to choose either model.

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