"The Real Lowdown" - from I-S Magazine (20th May 05), p3.
I thought the following was interesting in the light of the discussions that have been going on, but also because I just discussed Copernicus/Galileo/helio- and geo-centrism in my 'Isms' class, saw Revenge of the Sith on opening day, and realised Ng Yong Kuan's letter was not published. I leave it to you to figure the connections. Here's the text in full:
Student: Master, why did Singapore score only 43.2 percent in the "voice and accountability" section of the World Bank Institute survey?
Master: Because the sun rises and sets.
Student: I don't understand. Please tell me more.
Master: It happened a long time ago. An Italian scholar published a book in which he declared himself a heliocentrist, that is, someone who believes the earth goes around the sun. This was a terrible thing to confess, even worse than someone confessing to being a racist today. The confession was unacceptable to the powerful geocentrists, who knew the sun went around the earth. So they told him to publicly deny his beliefs.
Student: What did the scholar do?
Master: He had no choice but to do as the powerful geocentrists demanded. Here's a modern summary of his abjurement (sworn denial) document: "I, Galle Leo, was wrong to declare myself a heliocentrist. To allay everyone's suspicions of me, I sincerely abjure my errors and falsehoods. Furthermore, I promise that I will never again in future say or write or cause to be said or written anything which will attract a similar suspicion against me."
Student: Wow, like, he reversed his own blog?
Master: Well, in our modern terms, yes.
Student: But surely the right thing for the geocentrists to do was to strongly rebut the heliocentrist view, instead of savagely rebuking the heliocentrist.
Master: Be that as it may, that was what happened. And that is why we today still believe that the sun rises and sets, as it makes its way around the earth each day.
Student: I see. But how does this explain Singapore's 43.2 percent score?
Master: You still have much to learn, Grasshopper. Patience.
I'm posting this since Huichieh, being in Toronto, has no direct access to I-S.
Cheers!
Student: Master, why did Singapore score only 43.2 percent in the "voice and accountability" section of the World Bank Institute survey?
Master: Because the sun rises and sets.
Student: I don't understand. Please tell me more.
Master: It happened a long time ago. An Italian scholar published a book in which he declared himself a heliocentrist, that is, someone who believes the earth goes around the sun. This was a terrible thing to confess, even worse than someone confessing to being a racist today. The confession was unacceptable to the powerful geocentrists, who knew the sun went around the earth. So they told him to publicly deny his beliefs.
Student: What did the scholar do?
Master: He had no choice but to do as the powerful geocentrists demanded. Here's a modern summary of his abjurement (sworn denial) document: "I, Galle Leo, was wrong to declare myself a heliocentrist. To allay everyone's suspicions of me, I sincerely abjure my errors and falsehoods. Furthermore, I promise that I will never again in future say or write or cause to be said or written anything which will attract a similar suspicion against me."
Student: Wow, like, he reversed his own blog?
Master: Well, in our modern terms, yes.
Student: But surely the right thing for the geocentrists to do was to strongly rebut the heliocentrist view, instead of savagely rebuking the heliocentrist.
Master: Be that as it may, that was what happened. And that is why we today still believe that the sun rises and sets, as it makes its way around the earth each day.
Student: I see. But how does this explain Singapore's 43.2 percent score?
Master: You still have much to learn, Grasshopper. Patience.
I'm posting this since Huichieh, being in Toronto, has no direct access to I-S.
Cheers!
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