Aristotle's On the Heavens, composed in the fourth century BCE, is the primary philosophical text in which Aristotle sets out his cosmology of concentric spheres and, in Book II, reports and explicitly rejects the Pythagorean doctrine that the moving heavens produce an inaudible music. Its authority is that of the primary source itself, in the philosopher's own words, for what Aristotle actually argued and what earlier views he was arguing against. It is an ancient philosophical text rather than a modern scientific one, so a physical claim about the cosmos should be checked against modern astronomy, not against Aristotle's own cosmological model.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier2
Aristotle's On the Heavens is the primary ancient philosophical text itself, the middle tier reflecting that it is an ancient cosmological work rather than a modern scientific or scholarly source, notwithstanding its direct authority for what Aristotle himself argued. Notes4th century BCE. Aristotle's cosmology of the spheres; book II chapter 9 reports and rejects the Pythagorean doctrine that the moving heavens produce a music we cannot hear.
Citation
AuthorAristotle
Source Typeprimary-text
Claims Backed By This Source (12 claims)
This source backs 12 claims across the atlas. As facts: 9 well-attested. As cited relationships: 1 holds. Plus 2 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sources, 5 claims: 5 well-attested.
- Articles, 3 claims: 3 well-attested.
- Doctrines, 3 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
- Historical Figures, 1 claims: 1 general references.
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