Van Rijn says:
Quote:
Of course. And this is the crux of the argument. My understanding of the term "Geocentrism" is:
- Center has a specific meaning in geometry.
- It is a unique property of a structure. There can only be one center. It is a "preferred frame."
- The universe is a structure where it is possible to have a center in accessible space-time.
- The earth is the center of the universe. That is, everything else in the universe surrounds and rotates about the Earth, and only the Earth.
And that does not agree with either theory or observation.
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It [Geocentrism] disagrees with currently accepted opinion. It does not disageree with any known empirical observations that I know of. Neither scenario (geocentric or acentric w/heliocentric solar system) has been demonstrated to be the "actual" one. We use a particular model (acentric / helio solar system) and it works. A Geocentric system (if the universe were in fact Geocentric) would lead to the same results in terms of observation, launching of space craft, etc., and because of Einstein's equivalence principle, if the two could be distinguished by simple observation, this would mean GR is in trouble as a theory. Of course if a Geocentric system (a true one as defined in the quote) does exist, GR will need to be revamped or replaced. Please keep in mind that the acentrism of GR is a postulate, not a proven or demonstrated fact (though one could argue that observations supporting it do exist, as vice versa does exist).