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Aristarchus of Samos

Time is substantival and infinite — the cosmic motions (earth around sun, sphere of fixed stars) repeat indefinitely. Aristarchus does not theorise time philosophically but presupposes it as the medium in which celestial revolutions occur. Deterministic: the motions are regular and predictable.

Aristarchus of Samos

Space is Aristarchus's revolutionary contribution. He proposes that the cosmos is enormously larger than previously supposed — the sphere of fixed stars must be at a vast distance to explain the absence of observed stellar parallax. Space is three-dimensional, flat (Euclidean), and extends to immense distances. The earth is not at the centre.

Aristarchus of Samos

The sun and moon are physical bodies with definite sizes and distances. Matter is substantival, finite, conserved, and local. The sun is many times larger than the earth — a conclusion that may have motivated the heliocentric hypothesis itself (why should the larger body orbit the smaller?).

Aristarchus of Samos

The astronomer observes from the earth's surface — embodied, active, and dependent on angular measurement (the half-moon observation). Knowledge is mediated through observation and geometric reasoning. The revolutionary insight is that the observer's position (earth) is not the centre of the cosmos.

Aristarchus of Samos

Energy is not addressed. Aristarchus does not discuss the forces that cause celestial motions; his work is purely kinematic and geometric.

Aristarchus of Samos

Geometric-astronomical truths are substantival, conserved, and universal. The relative distances of sun and moon are objective facts derivable from observation and geometry. Aristarchus's method — combining measurement with deduction — is an act of information generation that transcends its historical moment.