Thomas Digges
Thomas Digges (c.1546 – 24 August 1595) was an English mathematician and astronomer. He was the first to expound the Copernican system in English but discarded the notion of a fixed shell of immoveable stars to postulate infinitely many stars at varying distances;[1] he was also first to postulate the "dark night sky paradox".[2] Life[edit] Digges died 24 August 1595. His last will, in which he specifically excluded both his brother, James Digges, and William Digges, was proved 1 September. Digges was buried in the chancel of the church of St Mary Aldermanbury, London.[6]
Erasmus Reinhold
Erasmus Reinhold (October 22, 1511 – February 19, 1553) was a German astronomer and mathematician, considered to be the most influential astronomical pedagogue of his generation.[1] He was born and died in Saalfeld, Saxony. He was educated, under Jacob Milich, at the University of Wittenberg, where he was first elected dean and later became rector. In 1536 he was appointed professor of higher mathematics by Philipp Melanchthon. In contrast to the limited modern definition, "mathematics" at the time also included applied mathematics, especially astronomy. His colleague, Georg Joachim Rheticus, also studied at Wittenberg and was appointed professor of lower mathematics in 1536. Reinhold catalogued a large number of stars.
Let Go My Ego--by Fr. Chris Metropulos of Come Receive the Light National Orthodox Christian Radio Network
No matter what era of Church History you choose, Orthodox Church fathers are always warning us about the power of pride to short circuit our spiritual maturity. Listen to this quote from Hesychios the Priest: “Just as it is impossible to fight battles without weapons, or to swim a great sea with clothes on, or to live without breathing, so without humility and the constant prayer to Christ it is impossible to master the art of inward spiritual warfare or to set about it and pursue it skillfully.” Humility seems to be a lost virtue in today’s world where demanding one’s “rights” is seen as a badge of honor rather than a symptom of a spiritual weakness. From our early years we seem to be encouraged to protect our ego above all else, and to insist that everyone around me consider me as special and important. To be sure, you are special. You are, in fact, a free and unrepeatable person created in God’s very Image intended to ultimately be in His Likeness.
François Viète
François Viète (Latin: Franciscus Vieta; 1540 – 23 February 1603), Seigneur de la Bigotière, was a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra, due to its innovative use of letters as parameters in equations. He was a lawyer by trade, and served as a privy councillor to both Henry III and Henry IV. Biography[edit]
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe listen (14 December 1546 – 24 October 1601), born Tyge Ottesen Brahe,[1][2][3][4] was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations. He was born in Scania, then part of Denmark, now part of modern-day Sweden. Tycho was well known in his lifetime as an astronomer and alchemist and has been described more recently as "the first competent mind in modern astronomy to feel ardently the passion for exact empirical facts
Social engineering (political science)
Decision-making can affect the safety and survival of literally billions of people. As expressed by German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies in his study The Present Problems of Social Structure,[1] society can no longer operate successfully using outmoded methods of social management. To achieve the best outcomes, all conclusions and decisions must use the most advanced techniques and include reliable statistical data, which can be applied to a social system.
Michael Servetus
Michael Servetus (Spanish: Miguel Serveto Conesa), also known as Miguel Servet, Miguel Serveto, Revés, or Michel de Villeneuve (29 September? 1509 or 1511 – 27 October 1553), was a Spanish theologian, physician, cartographer, and Renaissance humanist. He was the first European to correctly describe the function of pulmonary circulation. He was a polymath versed in many sciences: mathematics, astronomy and meteorology, geography, human anatomy, medicine and pharmacology, as well as jurisprudence, translation, poetry and the scholarly study of the Bible in its original languages. He is renowned in the history of several of these fields, particularly medicine and theology.
The Heliocentric Theory of Nicolaus Copernicus
Considered one of the most significant astronomical thinkers of all time, Nicolaus Copernicus forever changed the way scientists understand the design of our solar system. His suggestion of a heliocentric model of the universe challenged the widely held belief that the Earth was at rest in the center of the universe, with the sun and other planets revolving around it. The proposition of Copernicus’ cosmological beliefs sparked controversy in both scientific and religious communities, and his ideas were generally disregarded. However, within roughly one hundred and fifty years, the work of other planetary scholars such as Kepler, Galileo, and Newton eradicated any disbelief and put Copernicus’ original ideas into fruition.1
Social constructionism
Social constructionism, or the social construction of reality, is a theory of knowledge in sociology and communication theory that examines the development of jointly constructed understandings of the world. It assumes that understanding, significance, and meaning are developed not separately within the individual, but in coordination with other human beings. The elements most important to the theory are (a) the assumption that human beings rationalize their experience by creating a model of the social world and how it functions and, (b) that language is the most essential system through which humans construct reality.[1] Definition[edit]
