steveandersen:
One of the consequences of the Theory of Relativity is that no reference point is any better than any other. So that if you tripped you could just as easily say, “you fell to the floor” as “the ground rushed up to meet you”
True, but we can use simple logic to say that the former is the more “true” one. In the universe there is no absolute reference frame to compare to, so we cannot rule out geocentrism using this type of logic.
steveandersen:
A lot of us know this intuitively. If you stand out in a field it looks and feels just like you’re standing still and the sun is moving above you. So the modern proponents of geocentrism state that since any point of reference will do, then saying the earth is stationary is OK.
The problems with this are:
(a) It is non-falsefiable and thus not a valid theory
Just because you claim it is not falsifiable, does not mean it is not true. The idea of falsifiability is philosophical, not scientific.The fact that a theory may not be falsifiable, does not mean it is not true. It only means that those who subscribe to Popper’s philosophical stance will not consider it scientific. It can also mean it requires better definition.
quote=steveandersen Einstein states that no one point of reference is any better than any other so while you’re perfectly free to pick the earth, you’re also perfectly free not to. The geocentrists sort of want to have it both ways
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What the “geocentrists want” is irrelevant to the facts. The fact is general relativity supplies the forces which would expalin a geocentric universe were it so.
quote=steveandersen they use the entire planet as their reference point which is fine for objects that are very far away but it is incompatible with observations on a smaller scale. The earth isn’t a point; it is 8,000 miles across so their model fails when used for close objects like the moon, airplanes, & satellites. So they really need to modify their model to hold the center of the earth or some other particular point stationary rather than the whole planet…then it would make perfect sense…. relatively

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You do not know that. True we treat earth as a solid body. Relative to the size of the universe this is infintesimal. For “close” observations, we do not need relativity, and can just map observations realtive to the known diameter of the earth. You are mixing up concepts.
It is possible to model the entire universe in relativity as it is (composed of solid bodies, fluids,etc.) and it should work out. Some obj cts are close, some far. Forces between close objects would have to account for overlap of mass, but it is possible.
This is a non-issue you keep bringing up.
quote=steveandersen There is a principle in science called parsimony (AKA Ockam’s Razor) which states that given two models that fit the existing data equally well we should chose the least complex one. Classical physicist abandoned geocentrism because, while you can describe the motion of the planets in terms of a stationary earth, the paths they would have to take are complex and convoluted with circles within circles and all manner of twists and turns. While this is fine according the relativity, there is no good model in classical physics to explain it, and it is just plain messy.
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First of all you are talking about philosophy, not science. Not everyone agrees that the simpler system is always the true one. This is a philosophical principle of questionable validity.
Next, the geocentric system is not necassarily more comlex than the current acentric one.You are thinkng about cartoon concepts of the solar system isolated from the rest of the universe. When you account for the entire universe, a rotating system could easily be simpler than a random ballistic eent (i.e., the big bang).
Also, if I ask what is the simplest way to set up the universe to satisfy God’s desire to put earth at the center, it is pretty clear.
quote=steveandersen There are some other reasons which since I’m not a physicist I can’t begin to approach but basically many modern geocentrists base their reasoning on a theological argument. This is fine for theologians but since physics is supposed to be the same whether you are Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or none of the above, scientist really can’t use that as part of their model.
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Physics should conform to the will of the Prime Physicist- God. There is only one true God, the God of the Catholic Church.
Mark
www.veritas-catholic.blogspot.com