May You Never Grow Up
Finished Reading: Ptolemy
Finished reading Book 1 (Sections 1-8) and Book 3 of The Almagest by Ptolemy (c 100. - 170 AD). Ptolemy, known for his contributions in the fields of mathematics, geography and astronomy is perhaps most well known for the idea of an earth-central universe though the idea was not unique to him. While Ptolemy was wrong in some areas of astronomy, he should be credited for the depth and breadth of the science his attempts. For example, his argument for the spherical shape of the earth is held against the possibility that the earth could be no other shape: flat, square, pyramid or cylindrical. Ptolemy held that our seasons are controlled by the proximity of the sun to the earth as it circles the earth—closer in summer than in winter. Contrasted against Aristotle who held that heavenly bodies consisted of four elements (earth, air, fire, water), Ptolemy recognized differences in stars and planets they orbit, fixed in their enveloping shell.
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