Question

Why didn't scientific thinkers immediately accept the Copernican model of the solar system?

A. They had irrefutable evidence that the Earth-centered model was correct.
B. Copernicus's model did not make noticeably better predictions than the Earth-centered model.
C. Copernicus was not respected in the science community.
D. They were reluctant to throw out the Earth-centered model because it had been around for so many years.
E. B & D, Copernicus's model did not make noticeably better predictions than the Earth-centered model, and they were reluctant to throw out the Earth-centered model because it had been around for so many years.

Answer 1

Scientists were reluctant to accept the Copernican model because it did not make noticeably better predictions than the Earth-centered model, and they were hesitant to throw out the long-standing Earth-centered model. This was due to the prevailing philosophical tradition at the time, which favored human thought and divine revelation over empirical evidence.

Step-by-step explanation:

Scientific thinkers did not immediately accept the Copernican model of the solar system because they were reluctant to throw out the Earth-centered model that had been around for so many years and because Copernicus's model did not make noticeably better predictions than the Earth-centered model.

In Copernicus' time, few people thought there were ways to prove which model was correct. The prevailing philosophical tradition held that pure human thought and divine revelation represented the path to truth, and nature as revealed by our senses was suspect.