There are some flaws in our current models.
1) The center of the universe is not the sun. The center of the universe is the observer. We know this from the practice of physics and our understanding of how perception works. It is also supported by the direct observation of the CMB (Cosmic Microwave Background).
2) Gravity is not a force. Einstein: “According to the general theory of relativity, gravity is not a force. There are no gravitational fields. Gravity is kind of an illusion.” The real source of gravity might surprise you.
3) There is no observer who can travel around the world, arrive at the same place, and have it be the same day. The globe is a fiction. We cannot see around corners. For any given observer, a sphere is a dome.
In addition to not seeing around corners, light will not travel 360 degrees. Light will choose the shortest path, the fastest route (Max Planck). Once I travel 180 degrees, there is a shortcut available to me, at the diameter. Why would I travel 360 degrees when I can cut across at the eclipse?
Indeed, why would I travel 180 degrees when I can cut across at the eclipse? But the eclipse path, like the straight line connecting the two base points of a rainbow, becomes visible to me only *after* I have traveled 180 degrees. And so we observe the collapsing spirals of Fibonacci.
When faced with new information that conflicts with what we believe to be true, the childish response—perhaps the natural, initial response—is to dig in our heels and become defensive. But, over time, the truth prevails. This is one of the great consolations of science. Science, in its ideal state, is immune to bias, special interests, and “favorites.” Unlike many other human endeavors, its only interest is truth.
Science is a living, breathing discipline, as plastic and protean as the human mind itself. To suggest that science is changeless is anathema to its true spirit. When it comes to human knowledge correcting itself, science leads the way. If humanity is a ship, science is the maiden at the prow.
The practice of science, of growth, requires that we be humble, supple, and open—and it occasionally asks that we have moral courage. Do human beings possess these qualities? I think we do.
