Setting Aside All Authority

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Setting Aside All Authority offers a critical analysis of seventeenth-century scientific arguments against the Copernican system. Christopher M. Graney challenges the notion that the opposition to heliocentrism was primarily driven by religious beliefs or adherence to outdated traditions. Instead, he argues that scientific reasoning played a significant role in this opposition. Utilizing newly translated works from anti-Copernican writers, Graney illustrates how these thinkers, building on Tycho Brahe's contributions, constructed a compelling scientific case against heliocentrism well into the mid-seventeenth century, even after the telescope's introduction. The pinnacle of this scientific argument is exemplified in Giovanni Battista Riccioli's 1651 New Almagest, where he employed meticulous telescopic observations to contest Copernicus. The book features the first English translation of Monsignor Francesco Ingoli’s essay to Galileo, which critiques the Copernican system prior to the Inquisition's condemnation in 1616, alongside excerpts from Riccioli's experiments on falling bodies. Graney’s work is a significant contribution to the history of science and astronomy, prompting a reevaluation of Riccioli’s role and the rationality of the geocentric perspective during this period. It appeals to historians, philosophers of science, and students in related fields.