In Defense Of Galileo And The Inquisitor

There will always be a battle between religion and science, it is a truth universally acknowledged. Galileo attempted to make the two compatible by suggesting that the truth can only be sought out if the notion under consideration can be accurately tested and if the opposing view can be founded as false. Galileo’s goes into depth about the truth of scripture and the sciences, intertwined with the reason of man, in his letter to Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of

In the letter Galileo explained that it would not matter if something in the Bible was disproven, the primary purpose of the Bible is salvation. He also believed that God gave him and others intellect. He reasoned that if God did not want people to gain knowledge, then God would not have gave them the ability to reason or the ability to make new discoveries. Galileo also believed that if the sacred scribes wanted us to have all the answers they would have written them, and that the Holy Ghost intended to only teach us how to get to heaven, not how heaven goes.

The book really focuses on the conflict between Galileo and the Catholic Church, most notably Pope Urban VIII, once

An important thing to remember is that is the 16th and 17th centuries, there was no separation between State and the Church. Most/all rules in the State had to do something with the Bible and how it had been interpreted, and it anyone had opposed the ideas of the Bible, they would not only get punished by the church, but also by the State. This made it laborious to try to prove an idea with science, just as Galileo was trying to do. Not even the smallest accusation about the church was taken lightly, “As you know, the Council [of Trent] prohibits interpreting the Scriptures contrary to the common agreement of the holy Fathers.” (Document B). At this point Galileo had only just started his discoveries, and sharing them with the public and church. Even though Galileo never explicitly vocalized that the scriptures were wrong, just by throwing the idea out that the Earth revolved around the Sun, caused disagreement from the Church and State. The timing that Galileo started to speak about his discoveries and thoughts about the universe was not the best. He started to say his ideas only a little after Bruno. Galileo supported Bruno’s idea on how the universe worked. This was probably not the best idea for Galileo, considering that Bruno had been burned to death in 1600, for the popular belief that he was going against the Bible. The main difference between

During the Scientific Revolution, in the 17th century, several philosophers began to doubt scientific knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. One of those philosophers, Galileo, discovered a new innovation that could have changed the viewpoint on the Church’s Scripture accuracy. Galileo discovered that the sun stayed still as the Earth revolved around it, which was the opposite of what the Church taught. During this time, it was very dangerous for Galileo to oppose the Church. This was because doubts about the Church would lead to a loss of its power and the people’s trust, which was unwanted.

Galileo was seen as a heretic at first, causing the church to ban the spreading of his theory, but after several investigation they recognized that the Italian was truly correct. Galileo Galilei was once considered as a heretic, however, centuries proved that he was not a heretic, just a user of the mind’s inquistary that lead him to be scientifically

Over two centuries ago the Catholic Church tried Galileo, because he published his book in 1632 that supported the heliocentric ideas that originated from Copernicus. The church claimed that the heliocentric theory went against scripture. During this time the Catholic Church believed in the idea that the Earth was at the center of the universe. This was called the geocentric theory, which had been around for nearly 1500 years. Galileo was tried less than a year later in 1633. The trial was private, because the church feared the community would support him, because he was one of the most achieved astronomers of their time. The church’s committee unanimously voted that his book, the Two Chief World Systems violated his

Throughout history, examples of technological advances against the approval of the general populations are in abundance. In the early to mid 1600’s, Galileo Galilei made many scientific and mathematical discoveries. However, in this time period, many did not agree with his claims as when the Church ordered Galileo to keep quiet about his theories about the Earth orbiting around the Sun.

In the history of the Catholic Church, no episode is so contested by so many viewpoints as the condemnation of Galileo. The Galileo case, for many, proves the Church abhors science, refuses to abandon outdated teachings, and is clearly not infallible. For staunch Catholics the episode is often a source of embarrassment and frustration. Either way it is undeniable that Galileo’s life sparked a definite change in scientific thought all across Europe and symbolised the struggle between science and the Catholic Church.

Galileo also argues that the same God that gave us senses, reason, and intellect would not give us answers to questions that could be solved using them. He feels this is even truer with sciences such as astronomy, where so little of which is found in the Bible, pointing to the fact that the only other planet even mentioned is Venus. Continuing, he argues that since the Bible doesn't seem to answer the questions of the shape of Heaven or its location in relation to the Earth, why would it state the matter of an earth-centered universe. Quoting a high-ranked priest, he states: "That the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes."

If people did want to challenge the church, whether it be in science or in moral dilemma, they were automatically threatened with heresy and excommunication. The church's complete control, as a result of no separation between church and state, forced every other person to also excommunicate the 'heretic' or fear being excommunicated as well. This, of course, was not an appealing path to tread. However, even Everyman tries to deny the 'injustice': "Who are you to ask me for this accounting?" (Scene 2, Line 38) The response is powerful and final: "I am Death, and I fear no one." (Scene 2, Line 39) There was no liberty in the Renaissance period for questioning the church, contradictory to even God's command in the Bible: "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21) Galileo, Martin Luther, and Chaucer were all men that challenged

In parroting the principles of Aristotle, they “do not notice how much damage they do to his reputation, how much discredit they bring him, and how much they diminish his authority instead of increasing it” (199). These men take Aristotle’s good name and drag it through the mud by claiming that every one of his sayings is absolute truth, rather than the best possible hypothesis he could have made with his level of technology. By undermining the arguments of his opponents in this way, Galileo frees himself up to defer to Aristotle’s logical principles without invoking quotations of his conclusions.

By resisting against the Catholic authority and publishing the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, he demonstrated that the value of knowledge can transcend the fear of religious condemnation. From his letter to the duchess of Tuscany, it is evident that Galileo recognized and refuted the church’s application of the Bible to scientific endeavors that permeated society. As the Bible consists of allegorical fables and symbolic proverbs, its ambiguity subjects the reader to interpretation. During this time period, the church designated its own interpretation of the Bible as the quintessential perception of insight and morals that the public should abide in order to lead righteous lives, which Galileo combatted. This view allowed

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 document shows the sort of plea that Galileo gives to the Duchess in hope of some kind of sympathy and to prove that his new concepts are not being accepted and also that he’s being accused for the wrong reasons. And he could also be trying to impress her in way, like in the first sentence he writes, “Some years ago, as Your Serene Highness well knows, I discovered in