The Philosopher Who Moved the Earth – Philolaus of Croton

Philolaus of Croton (470–400 BCE), a representative of the Pythagorean school, discovered that the Earth moves. According to his cosmological system, an eternal and unquenchable Central Fire lies at the center of the universe and illuminates the world. Around this fire rotate the Earth, a hypothetical Counter-Earth (Antichthon) that is not visible from Earth, the Sun, the Moon, and the five other planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The stars also exist. The Counter-Earth is a hypothetical planet that moves synchronously with the Earth.

The uniqueness of Philolaus’s system lies not only in removing the Earth from the center of the universe. His model also includes these five planets and, for the first time, arranges them in their correct order.

According to the philosopher, the Central Fire is not visible from Earth, but its light is reflected to our planet by the Sun. Some theories suggest that the concept of the Counter-Earth was introduced to ensure that the total number of celestial bodies equaled 10, which, according to the Pythagoreans, is the most perfect number.