Aristotelian View of the Universe

Aristotelian View of the Universe

From a Aristotelian Model to Heliocentrism

As long as mankind has existed, we have questioned the world around us. It is from this great curiosity that great discoveries are made and great truths are told. However, sometimes truths can change with new developments in advancing technologies. This was the case for our model of the universe. The Aristotelian view of the universe reigned supreme for thousands of years, until new developments in the telescope and the brave scientific inquiry of two men, Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei presented a new heliocentric version of the construction of the universe.

The Aristotelian view of the universe was much different than how we know it in the modern context today. In fact the primary principles of our modern view of the universe were completely reversed in this ancient model of our solar system and beyond. First posited by Aristotle in the days of the ancient Greeks, the model presented the Earth as the center of the universe. The Earth was then surrounded by the moon, the sun, and all the planets, with the stars further out. In this model, the universe was composed of fifty-five concentric spheres that all fit one inside the other, each getting bigger and bigger as you moved further away from the Earth. The moon, planets, sun, and stars were all connected to these spheres, each of them rotating at different spheres. In between the spheres containing planets or stars were buffering spheres that helped separate each celestial body. The moon was closest to the Earth, and then can Mercury and Venus. The sun was next, and separated the rest of the planets: Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The furthest realm was the fixed stars that contained the constellations and did not rotate. The very outermost sphere was that of what Aristotle called the "Prime Mover," which rotated at a steady angular speed. This movement was what caused the other spheres to begin their rotation. According to this view, however, the Earth never rotated. Rather, each planet on its own individual sphere moved because of its connection to the "Primary Mover" and that explained the movement of the celestial bodies across the Earth's sky.

This model of the universe was prevalent for thousands of years. It gained even more fervor in the Middle Ages, as Medieval Europe saw a revitalized interest in Greek philosophy, especially in the works and teachings of Aristotle. Additionally, this model of the universe worked nicely within the strict Christian philosophies of the day, which adamantly posited the idea that Earth was God's greatest creation, and therefore it must have been the center of the universe. Aristotle's "Prime Mover" was quickly replaced with the Christian God, and the last sphere of the universe became symbolic as the physical place for the Kingdom of Heaven. This allowed the Catholic Church to present the idea that Earth was special because it was God's greatest creation. Thus, the sun, stars, and planets worked for the Earth and not the other way around. The Earth stayed completely still at the center of the universe and was surrounded by less important celestial bodies that did not receive as much of God's grace. Since Aristotelian philosophy fit so nicely within Christian doctrine, it was adopted and held as truth for hundreds of years, until late into the Middle Ages.