No, Sibley, and thank you!

Over to CMI:

Deep time in 18th-century France—part 1: a developing belief
by Andrew Sibley | This article is from
Journal of Creation 33(1):85–92, April 2019
https://creation.com/deep-time-in-18th-century-france-part-1

Fontenelle, who was trained by Jesuits at the Collège de Bourbon, wrote a book in 1686 that was arguably a work of science fiction, entitled Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds (Entretiens sur la Pluralité des Mondes). This was in the form of a dialogue between two people and discussed space travel and the possibility of life on the moon and other planets. It also introduced consideration of developments over long periods of time, and, as Stott suggests, opened up the French imagination and ideas for a century thereafter. The purpose was officially concerned with the education of ordinary people by expounding the latest ideas of science, particularly in terms of heliocentrism. Through the dialogue he spoke of nature effecting changes very gradually over very long periods of time.

No, Fontenelle's book is no more science fiction than the Dialogo featuring Salviati, Sagredo and Simplicio*.

No, it is not very relevant that Fontenelle was high school educated by Jesuits**. It is far more to the point that Jesuits refuted Galileo (whose work, as said, is very related to Fontenelle's).

And thank you, very much, you have just provided another example of how speculations about aliens were the most popular "argument" against Geocentrism back when it lost its popularity, as I had done with Euler's arguments to a Prussian princess.***

Thank you again, you have done so while on top of that showing another link between Heliocentric ideology and ... Old Age.

Now, I'll go on and read the rest, but wanted to get this off the chest first!

Hans Georg Lundahl
Paris
Second Friday of Pentecost Novena
29.V.2020

PS, he also seems to be behind the modern / (even more) Enlightenment fad of dismissing the Iliad:

While being careful to not fully dismiss Scripture, probably out of fear of religious authority and an unwillingness to make enemies, his approach cast doubt on other ancient texts, which he thought offered myths and not facts. For instance, he wrote Of the Origin of Fables (probably written in 1684, published 1724), in which he commented on the “ignorance of the first men”.

I have another - Christian - approach to Apollo's role in Iliad book I. Apollo = Apollyon, a demon, and Greek and Trojan worshippers of Apollo were worshipping a demon, who had more playroom before Christ's redeeming death and resurrection than now. He is even called "god of the flies" = roughly Beelzebub./HGL

Φιλολoγικά/Philologica : Gematria of Apollyon / Apollon
http://filolohika.blogspot.com/2020/05/gematria-of-apollyon-apollon.html

* Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo.

** The collège de Bourbon mentioned is now Lycée Pierre Corneille. - and Lycée is senior high school or high school, not anything like University.

*** AUF DEUTSCH (AUF ANTIMODERNISM UND SPÄTER) : Euler als "Astronom"
https://aufdeutschaufantimodernism.blogspot.com/2017/12/euler-als-astronom.html