The Parable of the Solar System Model
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This apocryphal story relates to Isaac Newton's supposed belief in design. Isaac Newton engaged in frequent discussions on the subject of God and design with friends. One atheistic friend disputed the evidence of design in reality.
The story goes that Sir Isaac then built a clockwork model of the Solar System, including all the planets and moons that were known at the time. The moons revolved around the planets and they all in turn revolved around the Sun, while each individual orb turned on its axis. "How were you able to construct such an ingenious device?" asked the friend when he saw it. "I just tossed the pieces at random into a corner, and they accidentally assembled themselves into this model," Newton replied. "That's absurdly impossible," protested the other. "A lot less absurd," countered Sir Isaac, "than your belief that such was the origin of the real Solar System, of which this toy is but a much simplified model."
Though widely cited today, there is little evidence to show the incident ever happened.
