Galileo's Mistake: A New Look at the Epic Confrontation Between Galileo and the Church

Front Cover
Arcade Publishing, 2003 - Biography & Autobiography - 298 pages
The classic understanding of the notorious 1633 trial of Galileo by the Inquistition is that of Science and Reason persecuted by Ignorance and Superstition--of a lonely, courageous freethinker oppressed by a reactionary, anti-intellectual institution fearful of losing its power. Wade Rowland ingeniously uses the Socratic method to illustrate that Galileo's mistake was to insist that science--and only science--provides the truth about nature. The Church responded to this challenge by declaring that science provides mere models for reality and that ultimate truth is accessible only through metaphysical or spiritual insight. While the Inquisition focused on the scientist's telescopic observations of the night sky, Rowland contends that the disagreement centered on an infinitely more profound question: What is truth and how can we know it?
- The enduring popularity of Galileo's Daughter and Longitude by Dava Sobel demonstrates the ongoing interest in Galileo.
- Takes one of the modern world's most cherished myths and turns it on its head. An intelligent, erudite, thoughtful exploration that will disarm the most stubborn of skeptics, and make for scintillating debate.
- Should appeal to readers interested in science, history, philosophy, and the Roman Catholic Church.
 

Contents

ONE I
1
Doctrinal Revolutions
11
THREE
17
FOUR
31
FIVE
45
SIX
55
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Bibliographic information