Response 2

1- “But the refinements of the telescope made their knowledge so precise that there followed a collapse, if one may say it this way, of the moral center of gravity in the West. That moral center had allowed people to believe that the earth was the stable center of the universe and therefore that human kind was of special interest to God. After Copernicus, Kepler, and especially Galileo, the Earth became a lonely wanderer in an obscure galaxy in some hidden Corner of the universe, and this left the Western world to wonder if God had any interest in us at all.” (Postman 29)

A)- Postman was saying that these people and their new way of thinking, thanks in part to the invention of the telescope, challenged and forced the world to view ourselves differently. The idea was that we were the center of the universe and thus the sole focus of God, our creator. However, these men made us see that we weren’t the center but rather, a tiny piece in the grand scale of space. And if were just a small part, did that mean we insignificant to God as well?

B)- This made me think about how people reacted to these claims. The Western world felt that we had to be some driving force in the universe. That we had been created by a powerful deity and that everything is and was made because of us. Then enter these men, who tell us no, we aren’t special at all. What if they had decided to ignore what they found or disregard their findings? What went on in the minds of people as they were told about these claims?  Then I think about what would have happened if they had adopted this views from that moment, instead of rejecting them, would we be more advanced today than what we are right now?

C)- The line “the Earth became a lonely wanderer in an obscure galaxy in some hidden corner of the universe,” is rather striking. It’s a pretty scary thought, to think that we are just one speck of the universe. Are we really that insignificant in the grand scale of things? Everything we know or do is compromised in one tiny part of the universe. I also feel like these men are admirable because, if you found something that could radically change our world or the way we view it, would you be able to deal with the consequences of exposing that knowledge to the world? I have no idea if I’d be capable to go thought that scenario.

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One Response to Response 2

  1. Please follow the pattern. Literally, intellectually, emotionally.

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