Noel: This author idealizes Copernicus, turning him into some larger-than-life hero. Gwen: Is it any surprise? All heroes are, in a sense, mythical. Tara: Indeed. The best way to discover a person's values is to find out who their heroes are. Orathip: Hegel got it right: each hero represents a particular Volkgeist. They both embody and influence the spirit of their times Gwen: Perhaps, but we need to realize heroes are seldom portrayed accurately. Whenever we adore or abhor another, we distort their image.
You saw in ways others feared to see -
challenging thousands of years of tradition
with mathematical simplicity.
Ignoring platitudes
that earth
axled all things
you boldly suggested
we are sandwiched
between other planets
near the celestial periphery
Today your insights are widely admired
and books, buildings, satellites,
bank-notes, and schools
bear your name
Whenever people think creatively
or scientists challenge accepted beliefs
you speak
Hear the author read this poem.