Lesson 14.
Plato’s Problem of “Saving
the Appearances”
describe the early notion
Objectives 1 of planetary motion; and
At the end
of the compare and contrast the
lesson, you
should be
2 prevailing idea about
planetary motion.
able to:
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General Beliefs in Planetary Motion
nciples of Greek philosophers
motion and the apparent
n says that the planets are
motion.
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The idea of apparent planetary
motion.
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General Beliefs in Planetary Motion
• The most notable example of
this theory is that the stars
seem to rotate similarly from
east to west direction until it
returns to its original
location.
Star trails
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Plato and the Saving the Appearances
• Plato is an ancient Greek
philosopher and a famous student
of Socrates who served as the
teacher of Aristotle.
• He proposed that the apparent
irrational motion of the planets
may be due to the fact that they
move in several circular tracks.
A sculpture of Plato.
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Plato and the Saving Appearances
• His idea of planetary motion includes the combination of
orbits within orbits where the planetary object move in
clockwise turns within one track.
• He believed that this could result in the formation of regular
geometrical models of the irregular behavior of the
planetary objects.
• This idea of discovering order from disorder motion of the
planets is coined as “saving the appearances”.
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Challenge of the Saving Appearances
Plato cited major observations regarding the movement of
stars and planets:
• He thoroughly explained that stars seem to rotate around
the earth in ‘perfect’ path.
• He also mentioned the presence of wandering ‘stars’ that
travel across the sky which exhibit irregular patterns of
motion throughout the year.
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Challenge of the Saving Appearances
‘Wandering stars’
as planets
Plato coined the ‘wandering stars’ as planets that move in
uniform and organized manner orbiting the Earth in
combination of circles.
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Challenge of the Saving Appearances
• The most notable challenge of the
saving appearances is to:
• explain the presence of
wandering stars that contradicts
the observations regarding the
theory of planetary motion
• the apparent motions of the
planets.
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Challenge of the Saving Appearances
If the planets move in a similar path and perfect
circular motion, why are there still apparent irregular
motions of the planets that ‘wander’ across the sky?
Key Points
The most widely accepted principles of Greek
philosophers with regards to the motion of the stars, Sun,
1 and the other planetary objects are the theory of
planetary motion and the apparent motion of the planets.
The theory of planetary motion assumed that the planets
2 moved “perfectly” in a circular motion.
The apparent motions of the planets were based on the
3 uniformity of their behavior as they moved in their orbits.
Key Points
Plato is an ancient Greek philosopher and a famous
4 student of Socrates who served as the teacher of Aristotle.
The idea of discovering order from disorder motion of the
5 planets is coined as “saving the appearances.”
Check Your Understanding
Write the word true if the given statement is
correct, otherwise, write the word false.
1. The theory of planetary motion assumed that the planets
moved “perfectly” in a circular motion.
2. Socrates is an ancient Greek philosopher and a famous
student of Plato who served as the teacher of Aristotle.
3. This idea of discovering order from disorder motion of the
planets is coined as “saving the appearances” was devised
by Aristotle.
4. The apparent motions of the planets were based on the
uniformity of their behavior as they moved in their orbits.
Check Your Understanding
Write the word true if the given statement is
correct, otherwise, write the word false.
5. In Plato’s era, it was known that the planets move in an
irregular manner.
Challenge Yourself
What do you think is the primary effect of Plato’s
challenge to the creation of different models of the
universe?
Bibliography
Botkin, Daniel B. and Edward Keller. 2011. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet: John Wiley
and Sons Inc.
Cunningham, William P. and Mary Ann Cunningham. 2010. Environmental Science: A Global Concern:
McGraw Hill.
Cutnell et al. 1995. Physics. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hurd et al. 1988. Physical Science. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Mulligan, Joseph F. 1985. Introductory College Physics. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Tipler, Paul Allen. 1999. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. New York: W.H. Freeman and
Company/Worth Publishers.
Zitzewitz et al., 1995. Physics, Principles and Problems. New York: McGraw-Hill.
