Copernican principle
The
Copernican Principle is the
philosophical statement that no "special" observers should be proposed. The term originated in the
paradigm shift from the Aristotelian model of the heavens, which placed
Earth at the
center of the
Solar system because it appears that everything revolved around Earth.
Nicolaus Copernicus demonstrated that Earth is not, in fact, in the center of the system and the motion of the heavens can be explained without assuming that we are observing from a special position.
Compare with the anthropic principle and the mediocrity principle