The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman InquisitionA cogent portrayal of a turning point in the evolution of the freedom of thought and the beginnings of modern science. Celebrated, controversial, condemned, Galileo Galilei is a seminal figure in the history of science. Both Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein credit him as the first modern scientist. His 1633 trial before the Holy Office of the Inquisition is the prime drama in the history of the conflict between science and religion.Galileo was then sixty-nine years old and the most venerated scientist in Italy. Although subscribing to an anti-literalist view of the Bible, as per Saint Augustine, Galileo considered himself a believing Catholic. Playing to his own strengths—a deep knowledge of Italy, a longstanding interest in Renaissance and Baroque lore—Dan Hofstadter explains this apparent paradox and limns this historic moment in the widest cultural context, portraying Galileo as both humanist and scientist, deeply versed in philosophy and poetry, on easy terms with musicians, writers, and painters. |
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The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition (Great Discoveries) Dan Hofstadter Limited preview - 2010 |
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Antonio appear arguments Aristotelian Assayer astronomical Baroque Benedetto Castelli Bernini bodies Cardinal Bellarmine Catholic celestial Christopher Scheiner Church Ciampoli Collegio Romano concave Copernicus cosmos court cupola Dante defend Dialogue dome Domenico Passignano earth envy eyepiece fact Florence focal length Francesco Francesco Barberini Galilean Galileo affair Galileo Galilei Galileo wrote geometrical glass Grand Duke heliocentric heresy Holy Office Ibid idea Ingoli Inquisition's inquisitors instrument intellectual invention Invidia Italian Jesuit Kepler later lens lenses letter light Ludovico Cigoli Maculano Maffeo Barberini mathematical mathematician mazzocchio Medici metaphor moon moon’s motion mountains nature never Niccolini objective observations optics Padua painter Painting the Heavens papal Passignano planets pope pope’s reason Riccardi Roman Inquisition Rome Saint Scheiner scientific scientist Scripture sense Shea sort sphere spherical spyglass Starry Messenger stars sunspots telescope theory thing tion torture trial Tuscan University Urban VIII Vatican Venus vision writing