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To: orionblamblam
Can you name a scientific discovery that has ever added to our understanding of morality?


The invention of the telescope and the subsequent discovery of the moons orbiting around Jupiter.

This led directly to humanity's re-evaluation of our place (and importance) in the universe and marked an important milestone in the philosophy of looking to natural rather than supernatural explanations for how things work.
21 posted on 01/27/2006 3:51:49 PM PST by spinestein (All journalists today are paid advocates for someone's agenda.)
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To: spinestein
This led directly to humanity's re-evaluation of our place (and importance) in the universe and marked an important milestone in the philosophy of looking to natural rather than supernatural explanations for how things work.

The turn towards natural rather than theological interpretations had begun in earnest in the middle ages.

Considering that the planets were supposed to be made of perfect elements, unlike the earth, and that in the popular Christian mind Satan was at the center of the geocetnric universe, I'm not quite sure that the rejection of geocentrism changed much. Pop-science writers always claim it made a huge change, but they're generally repeating lazy 19th century historiography.

Now Newton's mechanistic physics, by misapplication, certainly impacted morality but not for the better.

39 posted on 01/28/2006 12:31:49 PM PST by Dumb_Ox (http://kevinjjones.blogspot.com)
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