a) The philosophical foundations of geocentric astronomy
b) Aristarchus’s model, and the reason that ancient and medieval scholars
rejected Aristarchus’s model
c) The foundation and elements of Ptolemy’s geocentric model. To answer what
questions Ptolemy introduced those elements in his geocentric model?
d) The problem of a point called equant
Sample Solution
The philosophical foundations of geocentric astronomy can be traced back to ancient Greek thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle, who believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe. This belief was based on their logic that since humans were living beings, it was only natural that they should occupy a privileged position in the universe. Further support for this idea came from observations made by ancient astronomers, which seemed to show that all celestial objects revolved around the Earth.