The Critical Thinking of Copernicus and Galileo - "And Yet, It Moves"

 

I'm a question-asker, it's just my nature.  Well, that and the fact that I was initially raised a charismatic evangelical, but over time (too long of a time to learn this lesson), after being burned repeatedly, I finally learned to stop doing, saying, or signing my name to things, just because other people said so, and to stop having faith in anyone or anything without ever questioning it.

Now, I didn't get always get burned because they ended up being untrustworthy (though that happened) - sometimes I got burned  just because they innocently didn't ask enough questions first, but I trusted them without question, so we both got burned.

Thus, nowadays, I need to understand why I'm being asked to say, do, or sign something - and if there's a particular aspect of something I don't understand or I want to better understand the details or the possible ramifications of it - or perhaps I need to see proof of something before I believe it or take action and do what they want - then I'll ask for it first.

This sometimes irritates people, even pisses them off ;)

I do NOT mean people in authority over me, like bosses, because I just do what they tell me to do lol.  

Also I do NOT mean people who know me well, who've said they've actually learned to appreciate my probing deeper, because it protects everyone from jumping into things too quickly - UNLESS - they also fall into the below group (meaning certain members of my family of origin ;)

No, I mean the the sort of everyday people who want to believe something so badly themselves that they don't bother to look too closely at the details or for other explanations/alternatives themselves, and/or just want me to believe/accept/do what they want me to do/say/sign without question  ;)

The latter situation always reminds me of the legend of Galileo's words, while standing trial for "heresy,"  for presenting scientific evidence to support Copernicus, who had been the first to state the the solar system was heliocentric - that the earth revolved around the sun rather than vice versa.

For nearly 1,500 years, until Copernicus and Galileo, people just  accepted that the sun revolved around the earth, without ever questioning it, simply because it "looked that way."

The legend goes that even though Galileo held in his hand the telescopic-documentation evidence that the earth revolved around the sun, rather than the other way around, he was forced to sign a recant - not out of fear of further ridicule, being legally labeled a "heretic," or even put to death - but  because those things would happen to his family first, to put pressure on him to recant, back in those days. 

Thus, legend has it that after Galileo was forced signed the recant, he then sighed, looked down at the ground, whispered quietly, to himself ... "and yet ... it moves."  :)

And 400 years later, as we all now know ... it sure-as-shit does! :)

As for me, I don't care how something "looks" or what everyone says/believes, I need details, facts, evidence (that is not just circumstantial), and proof - from reputable sources.

However, I am trying to learn that when I'm holding the evidence in my hand for something, but no one is interested in viewing it or answering my questions - perhaps even ridiculing me  - out of  nothing more than preferring to not look too closely at the details or staying in denial/belief - instead of pushing, I just need to offer to present my evidence, and if they refuse, then just quietly whisper to myself  "And yet ...  it moves (A-holes) " 

(LOL -  well, the A-hole part is optional, depending on how snarky someone was about it ;)