# Kicking Back Requires an Independent Explanation Consider the predicament of [Galileo](Galileo%20vs%20the%20Inquisition.md). He was looking through a telescope and saw dots of light moving around the night sky. He "kicked" the dots of light by refracting the light from the planets through his telescope and eyes. The light responded by "kicking" his retina back.*Why* did the movement of these dots require an independent [Explanation](Explanations.md)? Let us first imagine that we place a candle one thousand meters away on a table and then look at it through a telescope. This creates a "kicking back" of the light. We can explain what we see via a combination of our best theories of light, optics and the workings of our retinas. Now let's extend this so that now we are looking through a telescope out along the Mediterranean Sea where we see small movements of dots of light. How would we explain that? Well it would be a combination of our best explanations of light, optics, retinas, along with our best theories of what was occurring on the ships that these lights were mounted. Perhaps that light is attached to the top of the mount and a human is rotating it a full three hundred and sixty degrees ever minute in order to scan the surrounding waters. Whatever the case, the *movement* of the light cannot be explained via our theories of light and optics alone. It required and *independent explanation*. Which brings us back to Galileo. He too needed an *independent explanation* if he was to describe the "kicking back". Only now he didn't have a straightforward explanation revolving around ships, its crew members and the chop of the water. He needed a good independent explanation. This lead him to heliocentric theory: what he saw was planets following particular orbits. The earth was one of these planets and they all orbit around the sun. But is it really correct to say that we *need* an independent explanation? Yes, assuming that we are trying to remain rational, for [Rational Inquiry Requires Pursuing Good Explanations](Rational%20Inquiry%20Requires%20Pursuing%20Good%20Explanations.md). An explanation that leaves much unexplained is not a good explanation. [We Must Seek Good Explanations](We%20Must%20Seek%20Good%20Explanations.md), and it is this seeking that [Forces us To Take a Position](Forced%20To%20Take%20a%20Position.md). --- Date: 20241230 Links to: Tags: References: * []()