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From: jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton)
Subject: Re: Heliocentricism (Re: THE PURPOSE OF LIFE Defined & Gaia)
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Date: Sun, 29 Jan 1995 19:18:55 GMT
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In article <3gbcrs$6vi@nnrp.ucs.ubc.ca> constab@unixg.ubc.ca (Adam Constabaris) writes:
>Jeff Dalton (jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk) wrote:
>
>: I was trying to indicate that it's not just the benighted "theologians
>: and others" that Galileo had to deal with who think there's something
>: wrong with arguments of that form: we modern folk think so too.
>
>: Moreover, if this (
>
>:   "If the solar system is heliocentric, Venus will show moon-like
>:   phases".  Galileo observed that Venus shows moon-like phases;
>:   therefore, the solar system is heliocentric.
>
>: ) really was Galileo's argument, then we, like the theologians
>: and others, might point out that "there could be another reason".
>
>: If, OTOH, we're engaged in inference to the best explanation, it
>: can help to have some reasons for supposing the explanation we're
>: arguing for _is_ the best available.  Now, what were the alternatives
>: to Galileo's views?  The received alternative may well have had it
>: that Venus would not show phases.  [...]
>
>How about this: let's call it "inference to the best *known* 
>explanation".

Ok by me.  Indeed, I had something similar in mind when saying
"the best available".

-- jeff
