Analysis Of Galileo's Daughter By Dava Sobel

In Galileo’s Daughter, Dava Sobel assembles an account of Galileo’s attempt to prove the heliocentric model of the universe in a world where mans’ logical reasoning is potent, yet second to his devotion to God, and by relation, the Catholic Church. Sobel writes about Galileo’s tendency to question the reasoning of those around him. Though it may not be apparent, Galileo was born into a world of great similarity to the modern day. In Galileo’s time, Science was seen as blasphemy and a tool to undermine the construct of God. Moreover, it didn’t help matters that at the time, the Church was the governing body throughout Italy. This made it particularly difficult for scientific advancement, as any theory that suggested conflict with religious teaching

These “sense experiences,” are the experiences that one is subject to through the interpretation of sensory data. Man discovered this restriction in the ability to gather knowledge long ago, and came to realize its implications. An unlimited thirst for knowledge can never be quenched by a limited experience of the world. Thus religion was born. The conception of religion was to serve as a means to explain what is beyond the traditional breadth of comprehension. “Where did the universe come from? Why are we here?” What is to become of us? Such questions have traditionally been answered by appeal to the supernatural. From time immemorial, the workings of the natural world have been attributed to supernatural beings (Gods),” (Schick 2013, 432). Time immemorial! To think that humans could be so desperate for an answer that they could establish a means of knowing on the grounds of faith, and then stand to have the hypothetical value of such beliefs lost to time. It makes sense that this practice would be accepted to such a great extent. When theories premises are assumed, a great deal of information can be explained because it stands on mere speculation and thusly has no requirement for conflict. The opportunity to observe the origins of immutable faith arguments has long passed, however, a particular claim from Galileo’s own

Throughout Galileo’s Daughter, Sobel affirms Galileo’s idea, that just because you believe something does not make it true, and even when the observations appear to prove something true, there will always be those who will argue it to be false. This, however, is a flawed way of thinking. We can’t justify a belief rooted in assumptions, even if it provides a more detailed model. When we accept information on the basis of false premises, we satisfy an insatiable lust for knowledge beyond that which we can attain from logical reasoning, but conversely our judgment becomes blinded by the veil that emanates from the realm of false information. This false information can be difficult to discard because it can be used to explain so much about the natural world and our purpose in it. It is important that we accept that religion is Man’s attempt to answer these questions and because it is an institution reliant upon faith, it is acceptable for one to accept Religion as a precursor for complex ideas, and interpret its fallacies as misunderstandings, however, it is unreasonable for one to justify the rejection of science to prevent controversy with the beliefs of religion. Furthermore, it is unreasonable for one to ever justify the rejection of science for any reason, as this praxis clouds the mind and decreases one’s capacity to comprehend the true nature of the universe and the governing laws to which it