The Copernican Turn

1
The Copernican
Turn

• Presented by
• Manon Robroek Mei-Hsiu Chen

2
Overview

• Copernicus
• His life
• His theory
• His inspirations
• Ptolemy
• Hermes Trismegistus
• Conclusion
• Further discussion

3
Copernicus his life

• Born on 19th Feb, 1473 in Thorn
• as Nicholas Koppernigk
• Some facts of life
• Main Publication
• De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
• in 1543

4
Copernicus his theory

• From geocentric to heliocentric
• The planetary character of the earth
• Earth in motion daily rotation on its axis

5
Copernicus his inspirations
Hermers Trismegistus, pavement, Siena
Cathedral Source Giordano Bruno and the
Hermetic Tradition by Frances A. Yates

• Ptolemy an image of how he
• could look like

6
Ptolemys Epicycle on a Deferent Circle

• Source The Scientific Revolution Aspiration
  
• and Achievements, 1500-1700
• by James R. Jacob

7
Ptolemys Equant Circle

• Source The Scientific Revolution Aspiration
  
• and Achievements, 1500-1700
• by James R. Jacob

8
Paradise Lost
when they come to model Heavn And calculate the
Stars, how they will wield The mighty frame, how
build, unbuild, contrive To save appearances, how
gird the Sphere With Centric and Eccentric
scribbled oer, Cycle and Epicycle, Orb in Orb
John Milton
9
Hermes Trismegistus

• An Egyptian priest living around 1000 B.C. or
  even before
• Hermetic writings 21 books
• Hermetic tradition
• harmony between micro-cosmos (man) and
  macro-cosmos (universe)
• The Sun second God the Demiurg the Maker of
  All

10

• In the middle of all sits the Sun enthroned. How
  could we place this luminary in any better
  position in this most beautiful temple from which
  to illuminate the whole at once? He is rightly
  called the Lamp, the Mind, the Ruler of the
  Universe
• De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, p. 30

11

• But
• Did Hermes Trismegistus really exist?

12
Conclusion

• Copernicus was rational, but he got his ideas
  from the hermetic writings. He made it into
  science by calculating to show its correctness.
• In general Renaissance magic is an important
  factor in the changing of the human outlook.

13
The End

• Any ideas?
• Any questions?
• Any suggestions?
• SHOOT!