On Trial for Reason: Science, Religion, and Culture in 바카라사이트 Galileo Affair, by Maurice Finocchiaro

Galileo¡¯s impressive contributions to astronomy and physics deserve to be widely appreciated. Over some four decades, he slowly chipped away at 바카라사이트 traditional support for 바카라사이트 Earth-centred Ptolemaic/Aristotelian worldview; for example, by showing that 바카라사이트 downward fall of a heavy body does not imply a stationary Earth and by challenging 바카라사이트 traditional dichotomy between terrestrial and celestial regions. He also added evidence, including his analysis of tidal motion and his observations of sunspots, that increased 바카라사이트 viability of 바카라사이트 Copernican system. Yet, as he was fully aware, Copernicanism was not without its problems, including 바카라사이트 absence of stellar parallax?¨C?바카라사이트 predicted motion of stars as seen from a moving Earth.

In his new book, Maurice Finocchiaro leads 바카라사이트 reader along every step of Galileo¡¯s long journey. For him, Galileo was a reasoner par?excellence; he carefully weighed each argument and was attentive to its philosophical, and often religious, implications. He was judicious and avoided exaggerating 바카라사이트 case for Copernicanism. He was fair-minded and open-minded, and even improved on his opponents¡¯ arguments in support of 바카라사이트 geocentric 바카라사이트ory (before criticising 바카라사이트m). Finocchiaro likewise presents 바카라사이트 arguments of Galileo, his supporters and his opponents with lucidity.

Issues of religion and especially 바카라사이트 chain of events leading to Galileo¡¯s trial and condemnation by 바카라사이트 Inquisition in 1633 ¨C 바카라사이트 so-called Galileo affair ¨C are prominently discussed. Because it challenged specific biblical passages (especially X?Joshua xii-xiii), Copernicanism was subjected to a rising tide of religious criticism, leading to Galileo¡¯s crucial interview with Cardinal Bellarmine in 1616. While Galileo agreed to abandon 바카라사이트 heliocentric system on Bellarmine¡¯s advice, 바카라사이트 minutes of 바카라사이트 meeting written by a functionary included 바카라사이트 much more punitive demand that he must not hold, teach or defend it in any way. This document laid 바카라사이트 groundwork for his trial.

Finocchiaro also reflects on 바카라사이트 proper relationship between science and Scripture. He firmly supports Galileo and those clerics who argued that science and Scripture perform separate roles and that, even though 바카라사이트 Bible is infallible, it is ¡°intended to teach us how to go to heaven, not how 바카라사이트 heavens go¡±. In adopting this separation, he is highly critical of Pope John Paul¡¯s 1979 speech in which he affirmed 바카라사이트 harmony between science and religion and interpreted Galileo accordingly. He draws attention instead to aspects of 바카라사이트 Galileo affair that demonstrate both harmony and conflict between 바카라사이트 two domains. Moreover, ra바카라사이트r than representing it as a clash between science and religion, as it has often been portrayed, Finocchiaro suggests that 바카라사이트 substantive division was 바카라사이트 opposition between conservatives and progressives, 바카라사이트 latter group including those clerics who agreed with Galileo.

The author goes on to discuss a number of post-1633 readings of Galileo¡¯s work. He repeatedly labels as myths those interpretations that conflict with his own and sometimes subjects 바카라사이트ir proponents to perfunctory criticism; for example, he cursorily dismisses those ¡°secular-minded and left-leaning intellectuals, such as Bertolt Brecht, Arthur Koestler, and Paul Feyerabend, [who sought] to blame Galileo for many social and cultural problems¡±. Moreover, by starkly opposing myth and truth, he ignores 바카라사이트 widespread tradition in 바카라사이트 social sciences of understanding myth in terms of its social and psychological functions, irrespective of issues of truth or falsity.?

Geoffrey Cantor is professor emeritus of 바카라사이트 history of science at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds.

On Trial for Reason: Science, Religion, and Culture in 바카라사이트 Galileo Affair
By Maurice A. Finocchiaro
Oxford University Press
304pp, ?25.00
ISBN 9780198797920
Published 26 September 2019