It was an extremely ingenious system – and completely mad, even by contemporary standards; as shown by the fact that in spite of Aristotle’s enormous prestige, it was quickly forgotten and buried. Yet it was only the first of several equally ingenious and equally mad systems which astronomers created out of their tortured brains, in obedience to Plato’s post-hypnotic suggestion that all heavenly motion must be circular motion centred round the earth.
