The very question is whether the critics made good arguments. You are assuming the conclusion.
It's assuming the conclusion to think critics agreed with Aristarchus's criticism of a naive heliocentric theory?
Yes, Archimedes says that Aristarchus's position is a minority. Not dubious. I do not see that in the quotes at all.
I disagree strongly. I don't see how you could possibly read the parts I quoted, and italicized, and conclude otherwise. Like, how do you do that? How do you read those bits and read it as anything else? What exactly is going through your head when you read those bits from Sand Reckoner, how do you parse it?
One mystery is what is the purpose of the Sandreckoner. Is it just about large numbers? Or is it also about astronomy? Is Archimedes using exotic astronomy to justify his interest in exotic mathematics? Or is he using his public venue to promote diversity in astronomy?
Gee, if only I had quoted the opening and ending bits of the Sand Reckoner where Archimedes explained his goal...
Many people object to Copernicus on the grounds that Joshua made the Sun stand still, or on grounds of wind, without seeming to realize that they object to the daily rotation of the Earth, not to his special suggestion of the yearly revolution of the Earth about the Sun.
If Copernicus had such lousy critics, why assume Aristarchus had good critics who were aware of his arguments? Maybe they objected to heresy, like (maybe) Cleanthes.
Archimedes was a smart guy who understood what Aristarchus was saying. He seems to accept Aristarchus's argument that heliocen...
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.
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