“Ptolemy… against the champions of this or that cosmology of the heavens… had dared to claim that it is legitimate to interpret the facts of astronomy by the simplest geometrical scheme which will 'save the phenomena,' no matter whose metaphysics might be upset. His conception of the physical structure of the earth, however, prevented him from carrying through in earnest this principle of relativity, as his objections to the hypothesis that the earth moves amply show.”

— Edwin Arthur Burtt

Source: The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science (1925), p. 35

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Edwin Arthur Burtt 5

American philosopher 1892–1989

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