Podcast Summary: This Guy Sucked – Episode: Ptolemy with Dr. Moiya McTier (Patreon Preview)

Introduction

In the Patreon preview episode of This Guy Sucked, host Dr. Claire Aubin introduces listeners to a heated discussion centered around one of history’s most controversial figures: Claudius Ptolemy. This episode delves deep into Ptolemy's contributions to astronomy and mathematics, as well as the lasting negative impact of his geocentric model on scientific advancement.

Guest Introduction

Dr. Claire Aubin warmly welcomes her guest, Dr. Moiya McTier, an esteemed astrophysicist and folklorist. Dr. McTier is renowned for her work as the host of Exo Lore and the PBS show Fate and Fabled. She is also the author of the acclaimed book The Milky Way and a key member of the Multitude collective. Claire highlights Dr. McTier's diverse expertise, noting, “Multitude hosts are booked and busy, so we're very lucky to have her here” (00:00).

Pre-Podcast Banter: Competitive Spirits

The conversation begins with Dr. Aubin and Dr. McTier recounting their recent collaboration on the subscriber-only podcast Head Heart Gut. They humorously discuss their competitive nature, especially when arguing over which sport is best. Dr. Aubin reflects on her background in law and argumentation, saying, “academia gives you some good training for head, heart, gut” (02:39). Dr. McTier shares her approach to managing competitiveness, emphasizing her ability to separate ego from discussions (02:17).

Introducing Claudius Ptolemy

Transitioning to the main topic, Dr. McTier introduces Claudius Ptolemy, highlighting his pivotal role in ancient astronomy. She states, “He is known not as the founder of geocentrism, the idea that the Earth is at the center of not just the solar system, but the entire universe” (03:49). Dr. McTier underscores her primary critique of Ptolemy: his geocentric model's profound negative influence on scientific progress, particularly its adoption by the Catholic Church for 1500 years.

Ptolemy’s Contributions to Astronomy and Mathematics

Dr. McTier elaborates on Ptolemy’s seminal work, the Almagest (referred to as the Mathematical Collection during his time). She explains, “the most famous of them was this 13 volume collection that he called the Mathematical collection, but we call it the Almagest” (09:53). The Almagest encompassed Ptolemy’s extensive catalog of over a thousand stars and detailed his theories on the motions of celestial bodies. Dr. McTier notes that Ptolemy’s star catalog laid the groundwork for modern constellations, with “all but one of those 48 constellations today in 1922 or 1923. The International Astronomical Union officially declared 88 different constellations” (10:00).

Critiques of Ptolemy and Geocentrism

Dr. Aubin and Dr. McTier delve into the limitations and flaws of Ptolemy’s work. Dr. Aubin highlights Ptolemy’s oversight in only mapping the Northern Hemisphere's constellations, lamenting that his inability to observe the Southern Hemisphere led to incomplete astronomical data: “There’s another half that’s not there, which sounds really, like, silly on the front on the face of it” (12:41). This limitation, they argue, not only skewed astronomical understanding but also exemplified the broader weaknesses in his scientific methodology.

Dr. McTier adds, “Although the extra information that he would have gotten from seeing the southern sky probably only would have taught him that the Earth was spherical, which people already knew by the time Ptolemy came around” (12:41). This underscores the missed opportunities for Ptolemy to advance beyond established knowledge.

Misconceptions About Historical Knowledge

The hosts discuss the broader issue of how historical narratives often reflect what was written down rather than the full spectrum of knowledge that existed. Dr. Aubin remarks, “there are a lot of misconceptions around what people know and when they know it, just based on things like written narrative” (13:19). Dr. McTier emphasizes the importance of oral traditions and folklore in preserving knowledge that may not have been documented: “We tend to give more weight to things that were written down and things that were proven with a, like, Western scientific method” (14:04).

The Enduring Legacy of the Almagest

Returning to Ptolemy’s influence, Dr. McTier likens him to “the George R R Martin of his day” (15:02), highlighting the Almagest's extensive reach and enduring significance. Despite being written in ancient Greek, the text survived through meticulous translations into Latin and Arabic, allowing it to influence generations of scholars across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The painstaking effort to hand-copy the Almagest before the advent of the printing press underscores its importance: “they were just doing whatever they wanted to. What they followed their, the whims of their curiosity far” (08:22).

Conclusion

While the transcript provided does not cover the entire episode, up to 15:02, this summary encapsulates the key discussions between Dr. Claire Aubin and Dr. Moya McTier. They critically examine Claudius Ptolemy’s astronomical contributions and the detrimental effects of his geocentric model on scientific progress. The conversation intertwines historical analysis with personal anecdotes, providing a comprehensive and engaging exploration of why Ptolemy, despite his scholarly achievements, "sucked" in the context of advancing human understanding of the cosmos.

Note: For the full, detailed discussion and additional insights, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the Patreon version of this episode.