The Sun's Path at Night, Part II

Over at Divrei Chaim, R' Chaim discusses the topic mentioned in the previous post and writes as follows:

...Consider this: if Chazal could be wrong about science, then why did R' Akiva Eiger, the GR"A, the Ramchal, the Binyan Shlomo and others need to say anything? One sevara (Chazal did not know science) answers all the kashes -- but that's the one sevara that these achronim assiduously avoid saying.

Of course, the answer as to why they felt a need to say something is that these authorities were coming from a mystical worldview, which is fundamentally at odds with the rationalist worldview. That is how they were able to propose an explanation of the Gemara which is completely at odds with the explanation of Rambam, Rabbeinu Avraham, R' Eliezer of Metz, Tosafos Rid, Mizrachi, Akeidas Yitzchak, Maharam Alashkar and many others on this sugya. It is just like the topics of mezuzah and netilas yadayim shel shacharis, discussed in the essays linked to on the right, where we also see a radical difference between the approach of the Rishonim and the approach of the Acharonim.