The concepts of the structure and physique of the cosmology during the mediaeval and ancient times were dominated by Ptolemy, Aristotle, and Plato's ideas. Furthermore, most of these medieval structures held a consistent belief concerning the skeletal frame of the cosmos. According to them, the universe was a unique and finite sphere that was filled with matter everywhere. Ptolemy, for instance, developed a cosmological theory named the Ptolemaic system based on Aristotle’s physics concepts such as geocentric circular motion. According to Ptolemy, the cosmos is geocentric and has a range of arguments to prove that it is immovable while at the center of the universe 1 . He argued that if the earth moved, consequently, some phenomena would be observed. Particularly on the rationale that if all bodies fall at the center of the universe, the earth is fixated at one position. Therefore, from the circumference of the cosmic sphere to Ptolemy’s geometric center, the world is perceived as a decreasing sublimity and perfection hierarchy.
Earth’s decency, however, radically breaks where the concave surround the convex surface of the sphere. At this juncture, a philosopher of ancient times, Aristotle considered the cosmos from two perspectives; celestial and terrestrial. The celestial was composed of a series of orbs where the galaxy system's fixed stars had a circular uniform motion. A comparison between the two parts reveals that the celestial was a more perfect part of the cosmos than the terrestrial. Furthermore, the matter was made up of varying air, water, and earth proportions in the terrestrial region and moved naturally, hence the ongoing changes. These cosmos' structures were widely accepted during the ancient and medieval times until the paradigm shift took place during the scientific revolution.
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At its core, the Scientific Revolution brought enormous and significant changes in the perception of the cosmos. During this period, the ancient and medieval ideas, such as Aristotle’s placement of the earth at the center and Ptolemy’s planetary motion model, were transformed during the Scientific Revolution. One of the significant new ideas of this era was the heliocentric model. According to the model, the earth radically displaces itself to an orbit around the sun 2 . Coined by Copernicus, the model demonstrates that the sun is at the center of the cosmos. However, Copernicus’ model of the universe is problematic based on the rationale that although it broke with the medieval and ancient ideas, it has more of his contemporaries as opposed to modern-day astronomy. Although the Copernicus model was revolutionary, it was partially conjoined with the renaissance and innovations of the Scientific era. Further, Galileo's discoveries gave the theory credibility, culminating in principles such as those of Isaac Newton. These principles resulted in various laws of motion which changed the perception of cosmos. However, it is worth noting that these views have brought controversies between science and religion.
In conclusion, sometimes in harmony and during other times in conflict, science and religion have diverse and contingent interactions. For example, the Galileo Affair is one of the most significant conflicts between theology and science. According to Aristotelian physics, a force is crucial for keeping bodies in motion, and that explains why bodies on rotating earth could not fall vertically. Yet, according to the Bible, God stopped the motion of the Sun so that daylight could be prolonged and Joshua can lead the Israelites. Based on these conflicting issues, Galileo revealed that Copernicus's observations were credible. He objected to the Biblical scriptures by arguing that scriptures are not scientific and should not invalidate astronomical claims 3 . Therefore, religion and science have conflicted, but there have been efforts to achieve harmony.
Bibliography
Aechtner, Thomas. "Galileo Still Goes To Jail: Conflict Model Persistence Within Introductory Anthropology Materials: with Thomas Aechtner,“Galileo Still Goes to Jail: Conflict Model Persistence within Introductory Anthropology Materials”; and Garrett Kenney,“Why Religion Matters and the Purposes of Higher Education: A Dialogue with Huston Smith.”." Zygon® 50, no. 1 (2015): 209-226.
Danielson, Dennis Richard, ed. The book of the cosmos: imagining the universe from Heraclitus to Hawking . Cambridge, MA: Perseus, 2000.
McGrath, Alister E. Science & religion: a new introduction . John Wiley & Sons, 2020.
1 Danielson, Dennis Richard, ed. The book of the cosmos: imagining the universe from Heraclitus to Hawking . Cambridge, MA: Perseus, 2000.
2 McGrath, Alister E. Science & religion: a new introduction . John Wiley & Sons, 2020.
3 Aechtner, Thomas. "Galileo Still Goes To Jail: Conflict Model Persistence Within Introductory Anthropology Materials: with Thomas Aechtner,“Galileo Still Goes to Jail: Conflict Model Persistence within Introductory Anthropology Materials”; and Garrett Kenney,“Why Religion Matters and the Purposes of Higher Education: A Dialogue with Huston Smith.”." Zygon® 50, no. 1 (2015): 209-226.
