Galileo's Essay: The Conflicts In Life Of Galileo

Galileo felt that the common opinions of others should not satisfy another’s curiosity and others should not be made to believe the opinions of others. The church as well as others that interpreted or preached from the Bible distorted the information and Galileo thought that those who did this should not be allowed to speak or preach about it.

Correspondence between French Intellectuals, such as Pierre Gassendi and Marin Mersenne, gave insight into the meditations of those who did not falter to defend Galileo. Sarasohn states, “Gassendi and Mersenne were sincere Catholics and their response to Galileo’s troubles shows the complex nature of the effect of the condemnation on individual Catholic natural philosophers and on the progress of the Scientific Revolution itself in France” (36). Sarasohn reinforces that the French figures of this age, because they are in association with the Gallican Church, grasped scientific ideas contrary to the rest of Catholic Europe. Therefore, Sarasohn is undeniable when she claims, “this work [letters of correspondence] is indispensable to the study of intellectual life in this period” (35: Footnote 2). Her evidence of correspondence verifies that French intellectuals supported Galileo and scientific activity did not stand

2) The piece argues that Galileo’s experimentation paved the way for modern science. It recalls the life of Galileo, making sure to take note of his roots to illustrate how he became who he was. This intern shows how each phase of his life lead to the next, almost as if he had planned it’s course of action which also deepens the mystery of Galileo as a person. Furthermore, it alludes to how his character and persistence in itself changed how scientists would come to be view by society, through the portraying of his daring attempts to communicate his discoveries, each of which had dire consequences for failure attached to them. In doing so, this also created a feel for the society

Galileo Galilei, the most renowned scientist of the Renaissance period, or the “father of modern science” was known as a jack-of-all-trades: he was an astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician just to name a few. But perhaps what he is most known for is spurring the scientific revolution in the late seventeenth century. Galileo challenged what was then considered common knowledge for almost 30 years: for example, the idea of a heliocentric universe. The most controversial of these ideas was embracing the theories of Nicholas Copernicus. Not only did he embrace Copernicus’ ideas, but expanded and substantiated them. The consequences of these actions were multiple trials with the Church regarding his work and later

Through the use of the two quotes by Galileo and Pope John Paul II, Postman proposes that the use of religion and science can provide the bases for morality and human improvement should one be free from dogmatic judgement towards religion or science. Postman further emphasizes this common theme present in the quotes by juxtaposing the two figures, Galileo being an important contributor to the fields of science and Pope John Paul II holding one of the highest positions in the Catholic Church, the two figures of which are almost antithetical to each other given their roles. Following the essay’s theme of religion and the new age of information being similar through the use of blind faith, this juxtaposition further accentuates the religion/science

The Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, penned by the famous astronomer and theoretical thinker, Galileo Galilei, is considered to be the most significant insult of the ideology of the Catholic church during the Renaissance Period. The letter, which would eventually be published all over Italy, was a shot at the Grand Duchess for her criticism of Galileo’s heliocentric theory as a result to its contradiction of the hypotheticals found in the Holy Bible. Galileo simultaneously challenged the previous theories of influential astronomer Ptolemy as well as the Catholic church. The letter and Galileo’s role in the scientific revolution of this time period advanced the western intellectual tradition by influencing the general population to not only question the theories and ideology lectured by the Catholic Church but also their fidelity to the church altogether. Before Galileo could begin developing theories of his own, he first had to study the theories and ideology of his greatest role models, Ptolemy, Aristotle, and Copernicus.

Furthermore, Galileo dictates that “the holy Bible and nature proceed alike from the divine word…but nature…never transgresses the laws imposed upon her.” Through this argument, Galileo suggests that his professional analysis of nature is an art more divine than previously considered and should be treated with due respect rather than attacks by those who do not practice or understand it. The tension that exists between this and his self-portrayal as a humble victim are a result of his unique personality that drew mostly all questions and methods of research not from what was considered scientifically relevant but from what could deliver him the highest social

Galileo would face intense opposition from the Catholic Church, unwilling to accept these findings to be true. After an official Papal condemnation of Copernicus and the heliocentric theory, Galileo was ordered in 1616 not to “teach, hold or defend in any manner whatsoever,” his findings supposedly proving the heretical Copernican theory. He would later stand trial in 1633 in Rome and eventually recant everything he’d defended the past two decades. Despite this, he was forced into house arrest for the last 10 years of his life. He would continue his work while arrested, proving At the age 77, Galileo would die in his home near Florence.

Galileo was a very interesting person. There is no doubt that he was a great scientist, but he also was a mathematician, physicist and a professor. He refuted Aristotle's finding multiple times, and he turned everyone knowledge of the universe on their heads. Without his discoveries, astronauts and scientist today would not be able to do their jobs if they still believed the Heliocentric Theory. In his earlier days, he was convicted of heresy, meaning, he has been accused of not believing in an orthodox religion, because his claims challenged what the people believed in. When Galileo met a woman by the name Marina Gamba, who he never married probably because of financial issues or he did not want his reputation to be ruined because of his children. He had two daughters and a son out of wedlock. His daughters being Virgina and Liva, and a son named Vincenzo. Galileo was worried that his daughters would not marry well, so when they were older, he had them enter a convent (biography.com). A convent is a Christian community under monastic vows, meaning they are not allowed to love and must spend their life on a search for god. Galileo is a truly powerful scientist, and most of our knowledge would not be here without

The two main conflicts in this scene are; their duty towards the church and its people and their personal feelings of wanting to share this knowledge but has reasons not to. Galileo is very eager to tell the truth to the people as he says, ‘’ And the worst thing is that what I know I have to tell people, like a lover, drunkard, a traitor.’’ The second conflict is about the church’s desire to maintain their authority, power and to control people’s thinking and men like Galileo who likes to explore, question and reasons the knowledge. Both the men cannot help themselves from going on with their

The psychological effects of this is explored through this characterisation of key proponents in the play. Whilst the connotation of the treatment of Conflict throughout the play can be interpreted as an allegorical battle between new and old systems. Finally, Hamlets descent in madness echoes the fact that he was unable to garner acceptance for this ‘new philosophy.’ Whilst ‘Hamlet’ still contains many mysteries and unsolved questions, there is little doubt that the work of Nicholas Copernicus and his contemporaries play a vital role in the shaping and undertones of Shakespeare’s

While Galileo holds little respect for those who take Aristotle’s theories at face value, he shows no lack of respect for the great philosopher himself. Galileo applauds the fact that Aristotle’s works are examined and closely studied, and “only blame(s) submitting to him in such a way that one blindly subscribes to all his assertions and accepts them as unquestionable dictates” (200). Galileo’s arguments for heliocentrism would convince any layman of their truth, but his opponents are so set in their ways that they would be unwilling to even listen to his concepts. When an opponent relies on ancient words and does not use ration to come to their beliefs, it is impossible to use ration to convince them otherwise. Galileo, in his effort to contest what his opponents consider incontestable,

Humans are so engrained in their beliefs that often they cannot see the truth even though it lies right in front of their eyes. Therefore, their world must be flipped in order to see what is really there. In Bertolt Brecht’s Life of Galileo, Galielo himself tries to flip the world view with his heliocentric theory. However, the rigidity of human beliefs can prove to be quite a hurdle. Brecht utilizes the motif of sight in separate people in their varying degrees of rigidity to ultimately distinguish personal belief from visual truth.

In summer of 1609, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) pointed his revolutionary astronomical telescope to the heavens under the starry Venetian sky; his greatly important observations unveiled the mysteries of universe and would end up changing the course of scientific thought forever. Galileo lived in an age where there was much status quo, when scientists and philosophers would accept scientific and religious doctrine that had stood for hundreds, if not thousands, of years instead of challenging the accepted knowledge in favor of intellectual progress. Galileo’s scientific methods lead to significant discoveries explaining key scientific laws, such as the

This devotion to ignorance, or denial of the truth is another theme in the play. In Life of Galileo, ignorance is represented by the church and most of its members. Many of these figures stay willfully ignorant despite being faced with Galileo’s findings. For example, in Life of Galileo Galileo says, “A man who doesn't know the truth is just an idiot, but a man who knows the truth and calls it a lie is a crook” and “Shutting their eyes to every fact and pretending nothing has happened” (Brecht). It seems that the political structure within the play advocates for the ignorance of people even though they are faced with the truth, and that is one of the political ideas that Brecht is trying to convey with Life of Galileo. Specifically the characters that represent ignorance of the truth are Clavius and Cardinal Barberini, because they are confronted with and acknowledge Galileo’s truth while still forbidding it to be taught. They are the antithesis of Galileo and the ideas he represents. While Galileo represents truth, they represent ignorance of truth. Because truth is such a broad and universal theme, Life of Galileo has been adapted a few times in order to fit into different time periods and political environments. Because of this, Life of Galileo is allowed to have a subtly different theme with each adaptation.