Aristotle had taught that the speed with which a body falls is proportional to its weight. ...Throughout the 2,000 years from Aristotle to Galileo, no one had thought of finding out whether the laws of falling bodies are what Aristotle says they are. To test such statements may seem natural to us, but in Galileo's day it required genius.
Source: Religion and Science, 1935, by Bertrand Russell
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