Friday, August 25, 2017

Geocentrism, Heliocentrism, Decentrism

Heliocentrism replaces Geocentrism in one respect--as a theory of the astrophysical relation between the Earth and the Sun.  But, it does not replace the implicit Anthropocentrism, nor the entailed Theology, of the earlier theory, thereby leaving Humanity adrift, and displacing Deity completely.  Furthermore, Geocentrism is a Cosmological theory, in which the Earth is the center of the Universe, whereas in Heliocentrism, the Sun is the center of merely one segment of the Universe.  Hence, Heliocentrism is equivalent to Decentrism, i. e. since there is now no privileged point in the Universe.  Accordingly, there have been two main responses to this Decentrism.  One, a more radical Geocentrism--Egocentrism, e. g. the Cartesian Cogito, and the immediate Sense-Experience of Empiricism and Phenomenalism, which often includes a relocating of Deity, sometimes via a 'proof'.  The other, the deification of Decentrism--Spinoza's Pantheism, in which his God is everywhere, and Humanity is in some of its places.  This contrast is obscured by standard Rationalism vs. Empiricism classifications.

No comments:

Post a Comment