Copernicus: the man who changed the world

Financial Times of London ^ | Friday, September 2, 2011 | Dava Sobel

[SunkenCiv]

In September 1496, at his uncle's command, Copernicus travelled to Italy to study canon law, concerning the rights and duties of the clergy, at the University of Bologna... The death of one of the 16 Varmia canons created a vacancy, and Bishop Watzenrode used his connections to win Copernicus the office in absentia. As the 14th canon of the cathedral chapter -- in effect a trustee in the powerful governing body of the Varmia diocese -- Copernicus could now collect an income independent of his allowance.

He lodged in Bologna with the local astronomy professor, Domenico Maria Novara, whom he assisted in nightly observations... Copernicus encountered an ordained exception in Tiedemann Giese, a fellow canon seven years younger than he. Giese came from a well-known family in Danzig and shared with Copernicus an abiding interest in astronomy. Giese was almost certainly the first to hear Copernicus confess his secret knowledge of the cosmos.

By 1510, Copernicus had leapt to his Sun-centred conclusion via intuition and mathematics. No astronomical observations were required. He wrote out a short overview of his new heavenly arrangement, also probably in 1510, and sent it off to at least one correspondent beyond Varmia. That person, in turn, copied the document for further circulation, and presumably the new recipients did, too, because by May of 1514, when the Krakow physician and medical professor called Matthew of Miechow inventoried his private library, it contained "a manuscript of six leaves containing a Theorica [astronomy essay] in which the author asserts that the Earth moves while the Sun stands still".

[SunkenCiv]

...but of course they never were in a position of political power.

Socialism has always followed one path after it has gained power, so we're lucky on that score. And Stalin didn't invent that kind of big fist government, he just added in and made systematic use of the tools available in the modern age. In parliamentary systems, there's nearly always one party that is entirely or mostly in charge; if needed, a coalition partner is coopted via a cabinet post or two, or temporary adoption of one of their agenda items. But the party functions as a majority, cleaving together to avoid the loss of power to the opposiition. This is a means of softening the edge of socialism and reconciling people to single party state rule. It's a peculiarity that multiple parties remain in legitimate contention, but it should also be noted that rarely does any winner have even a majority of the votes -- almost always it's a minority government, another compatibility with socialism.