The Aristotelian Legacy

Aristotle’s arguments in favor of terrestrial cen- trality, especially those inDe coelo II 12–13, were particularly influential during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. They was especially due to Aristotle’s acknowledged authority and to their integration in a systematic vision of nature. In particular, geocentrism was compatible with the elemental theory according to which the four sub- lunary elements – earth, water, air, and fire – are ordered according to a concentric scheme beneath the sphere of the Moon (the first of the celestial bodies). They were thought to have innate tenden- cies to move toward their “natural places.” According to this doctrine, the earth, as the “heaviest” element, strives toward the cosmolog- ical center, which coincides with the center of gravity.