The Importance Of Cosmology

The idea of cosmology has been around since the beginning of time, however, as times change, so does ideas and theories. There have been many contrasting ideas of what cosmology is and what is at the center of the universe. Many philosophers, scientists, and theorists have debated about what is at the center of the universe since 384 B.C. and now we have a better idea of the universe we live in and what is at its center. Cosmology, the study of the universe, has been constantly changing and evolving over time, requiring people to reject previously-held beliefs, challenge the status-quo, and shift their perspective. Aristotle is arguably the first person who conjured up ideas about the universe and initiated the fiery debate about what exactly

Aristotle reasoned that if the shadow was round, then the only plausible shape for the earth was a sphere (Hawking 1991). Aristotle furthermore believed that the earth was stationary, but the moon, sun, stars, and planets were in constant orbit around the earth. Aristotle proclaimed the earth as the center of the universe, giving rise to geocentrism, the notion that the earth is the center of the universe and the planets are in a constant circular orbit around the earth (Hawking 1991). The public challenged Aristotle’s due to their novelty and because there was not a lot of information or technology during his time to support his controversial claims. Eventually, Aristotle’s ideas about the universe caught the attention of the public

This statement killed the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic theory, as their geocentrism theory asserted that everything had to orbit the earth because the earth is at the center (Hawking 1991). Advancements in technology helped convince the public and scientists to give heed to Galileo’s observations and theory. The invention of a telescope during Galileo’s time permitted him to observe the motions and movements of the moons, which gave him more scientific evidence to support his arguments. With the invention of the telescope, Galileo was able to make observations about the universe that other philosophers and astronomers were unable to make. Galileo’s arguments weren’t based solely on theory, but on irrefutable scientific evidence. Furthermore, Copernicus’s heliocentric model was just simpler to understand than Aristotle’s and Ptolemy’s, so the public began to shift their geocentric mindset to Copernicus’s heliocentric model. Galileo’s observations forced people during his time to challenge the church’s authority by making science the new basis of authority (Viney). This challenge by Galileo led to a shift in mindset and required people to give more heed to scientific fact and not blindly follow the church. Galileo’s findings encouraged new thinking and encouraged people to not just listen to the church