Nicolaus Copernicus · Science

The Centre That Was Lost

Copernicus moved the Earth from the centre of the universe - and in doing so moved humanity from the centre of creation. The deepest consequence of his astronomy was not scientific but spiritual: the first great demotion of our place in the cosmos.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that the deepest consequence of Copernicus’s astronomy was philosophical: by displacing the Earth from the centre, he displaced humanity from the centre of creation, beginning a long series of ‘demotions’ that decentred us from the universe. In your own words, explain why moving the Earth was f…

Leads to Giordano Bruno.

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