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by mmooss 4 days ago
Could you tell us more?: How are those groups not comparable in this context, and what do you see as the downside? And what is dishonest about the presentation?
1 comments

I said that the contributions from early european astromomers and rabbis are not comparable, and that this site risks to create the impression that they are (I edited out the dishonesty part, as I can't really know what your intention was). If Copernicus and Kepler would be on this page, perhaps this would be clearer. But I really think that one Tyho Brahe suffices. His measurements, that is.
I know what the prior comment said but I (and I imagine others) don't understand it. There is a lot of context or prior reasoning left out:

In what respect are they being compared, from your perspective? How do you think they are not comparable? What is the harm of comparing them? How would Copernicus and Kepler help and what is the drawback of multiple Brahe entries?

> I can't really know what your intention was

My intention? I have nothing to do with the OP. Many assumptions jumping up here.

Sorry, just now saw your comment, and sorry for mistaking you for the submitter.

My comment is indeed badly written. But if you go over the further comments the submitter made, it should become clear what bothered me.

So, for clarity (and not trying to be politically correct, but just say what I think is true): there is the unfortunate tendency among today's jews, seeing their success to bring US to fight on their behalf for their interests, to see in that a proof of them to be the Chosen People - in a very concrete and materialistic way.

One of the conflicts that such point of view generates, is conflict with history: in no way scientific thinking came from Judeah, it came of course from Greece ("but how can this be? It must have been the Chosen People who invented science! Look at all these Nobel laureates!").

And the revival of the Greek thought happened with the Italian Rinascimento, and from this came Tyho Brahe, Copernicus, Kepler and so many others.

While the jews were always closed within themselves (it is not true that it was only goyim who wanted them to be in ghettos, they themselves did not want very much to go out..). And did not start to occupy themselves seriously with science at least until the Enlightenment.. and these were not rabbis.

It is not the first time I see my conationals trying to prove that it is false. One could have just laughed at this, were it not that these people are so determined in their efforts. Really, just read the submitter comments..

Judaism says revealed knowledge, as transmitted to us via our mesorah, is superior to empirical knowledge, such as that obtained via the scientific method.

That being said, Ralbag, as we refer to him, or Gersonides, as you do, was both a highly regarded (and controversial) rabbi and esteemed astronomer who pioneered empirical observation and measurement.

Copernicus and Kepler have both been translated to English. I am focusing on works that haven't been.

Gans met and wrote about his encounters with Tycho. It was these documented encounters that drove my interest in translating the work.

In chapter 25 of the same book I mentioned, on the famous Gemara where Chaza"l concede to the chachmei goyim in Pesachim, Tycho says the Jews were right and the goyim wrong, and the Jews were wrong to concede.

Gans also met Kepler.