Archive for May, 2008
A Refutation of Galileo
May 19th, 2008
Upon publication of Galileo’s observations of the moons of Jupiter, the Florentine “astronomer” Francesco Sizi offered the following brilliant rebuttal:
“There are seven windows in the head, two nostrils, two ears, two eyes and a mouth; so in the heavens there are two favorable stars, two unpropitious, two luminaries, and Mercury alone undecided and indifferent. From which and many other similar phenomena of nature such as the seven metals, etc., which it were tedious to enumerate, we gather that the number of planets is necessarily seven…. Besides, the Jews and other ancient nations, as well as modern Europeans, have adopted the division of the week into seven days, and have named them from the seven planets; now if we increase the number of planets, this whole system falls to the ground…. Moreover, the satellites are invisible to the naked eye and therefore can have no influence on the earth and therefore would be useless and therefore do not exist.”
What an absolutely bombproof argument.
A Thousand Cows
May 17th, 2008
It’s time to talk about Yajnavalkya, a legendary Indian sage:
“King Janaka of Videha once performed a lavish sacrifice and distributed many gifts. Many wise men from Kuru and Panchala attended the ceremony, and Janaka wanted to know who was the wisest among them. So he drove a thousand cows into a pen, and between the horns of each cow he fastened ten gold coins. Then he said: “Venerable brahmins, these cows are for the wisest among you. Let him take them away.”
None of the other brahmins dared to speak, but Yajnavalkya said to his pupil Samashrava: “Son, you can drive these cows home.” “Hero of seers!” his pupil exclaimed joyfully, and drove them home.
The other brahmins were furious. “How presumptuous!” they shouted. And Ashvala, the royal priest, asked: “Yajnavalkya, do you really believe you are the wisest of those assembled here?”
Yajnavalkya replied: “I salute the wisest, but I want those cows.” “
- The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad