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Home > Dictionary of Science Quotations > Scientist Names Index O > Andreas Osiander Quotes

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Andreas Osiander
(19 Dec 1498 - 17 Oct 1552)

German theologian who contrived to add his own anonymously written preface during the printing of Copernicus’ De revolutionibus. The preface undermined representing the theories as truth (which Osiander regarded as coming solely from divine revelation), but merely hypotheses without certainty.


Science Quotes by Andreas Osiander (2 quotes)

For it is the duty of an astronomer to compose the history of the celestial motions or hypotheses about them. Since he cannot in any certain way attain to the true causes, he will adopt whatever suppositions enable the motions to be computed correctly from the principles of geometry for the future as well as for the past.
— Andreas Osiander
From unauthorized preface Osiander anonymously added when he was entrusted with arranging the printing of the original work by Copernicus. As translated in Nicolaus Copernicus and Jerzy Dobrzycki (ed.), Nicholas Copernicus on the Revolutions (1978), xvi.
Science quotes on:  |  Astronomer (97)  |  Attain (126)  |  Attainment (48)  |  Cause (561)  |  Celestial (53)  |  Certain (557)  |  Computation (28)  |  Correct (95)  |  Duty (71)  |  Enable (122)  |  Enabling (7)  |  Future (467)  |  Geometry (271)  |  History (716)  |  Hypothesis (314)  |  Motion (320)  |  Past (355)  |  Principle (530)  |  Supposition (50)  |  Way (1214)  |  Whatever (234)  |  Will (2350)

I have always felt that astronomical hypotheses should not be regarded as articles of faith, but should only serve as a framework for astronomical calculations, so that it does not matter whether they were right or wrong, as long as the phenomena can be characterized precisely. For who could possibly be certain as to whether the uneven movement of the sun, if we follow the hypotheses of Ptolemy, can be explained by assuming an epicycle or eccentricity. Both assumptions are plausible. That’s why I would consider it quite desirable for you to tell something about that in the preface. In this way you would appease the Aristotelians and the theologians, whose opposition you dread.
— Andreas Osiander
From surviving fragment of a Letter (20 Apr 1541) answering a query from Copernicus as to whether he should publish his book (De Revolutionibus). From the German in Leopold Friedrich Prowe, Nicolaus Coppernicus (1883), Vol. 1, Part 2, 521-522. Translated from Prowe by Webmaster using web resources. Original German: “Hypothesen nicht als Glaubens-Artikel zu betrachten seien, sondern nur als Grundlage für die astronomischen Rechnungen zu dienen hätten, so dass es nicht darauf ankomme, ob sie richtig oder falsch seien, wofern sich nur die Erscheinungen dadurch genau bestimmen liessen. »Denn wer dürfte uns wohl darüber sichere Auskunft geben, ob die ungleiche Bewegung der Sonne, wenn wir den Hypothesen des Ptolemaeus folgen, durch Annahme eines Epicykels oder der Ekcentricität zu erklären sei. Beide Annahmen sind gestattet. Daher würde ich—so schliesst Osiander—es für recht wünschenswerth erachten, wenn Du hierüber in der Vorrede etwas beibrächtest. Auf diese Weise würdest Du die Aristoteliker und die Theologen milder stimmen, von denen Du befürchtest, dass sie heftigen Widerspruch kundthun werden.«” Compare Latin text, from Johannes Kepler, 'Apologia Tychonia', Astronomi Opera Omnia (1858), Vol. 1, 246: “De hypothesibus ego sic sensi semper, non esse articulos fidei, sed fundamenta calculi ita ut, etiamsi falsae sint, modo motuum φαινομενα exacte exhibeant, nihil referat; quis enim nos certiores reddet, an Solis inaequalis motus nomine epicycli an nomine eccentricitatis contingat, si Ptolemaei hypotheses sequamur, cum id possit utrumque. Quare plausibile fore videretur, si hac de re in praefatione nonnihil attingeres. Sic enim placidiores redderes peripatheticos et theologos, quos contradicturos metuis.”
Science quotes on:  |  Allowable (2)  |  Appease (6)  |  Aristotelian (2)  |  Article (22)  |  Assumption (96)  |  Astronomy (251)  |  Both (496)  |  Calculation (134)  |  Certain (557)  |  Characterize (22)  |  Consider (428)  |  Desirable (33)  |  Eccentricity (3)  |  Epicycle (4)  |  Explain (334)  |  Faith (209)  |  Fear (212)  |  Follow (389)  |  Framework (33)  |  Hypothesis (314)  |  Long (778)  |  Matter (821)  |  Movement (162)  |  Opposition (49)  |  Phenomenon (334)  |  Plausible (24)  |  Possibly (111)  |  Precisely (93)  |  Preface (9)  |  Ptolemy (19)  |  Regard (312)  |  Right (473)  |  Something (718)  |  Sun (407)  |  Tell (344)  |  Theologian (23)  |  Vehement (2)  |  Way (1214)  |  Why (491)  |  Wrong (246)


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  • 19 Dec - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Osiander's birth.

Carl Sagan Thumbnail In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) -- Carl Sagan
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