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Galileo's Second Trial Research Paper

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Galileo's Second Trial Introduction There have been very few episodes in the history of science that have caused more controversy than the ecclesiastical accusation of the Copernican system in 1616 and the following persecution of Galileo in 1633. From the birth of these events there has been an ongoing debate that continues until this day. You have on one side a large section of the public as well as numerous scientists and scholars who seem to regard the Galileo Affair as a characteristic illustration of a typical perspective of the Roman Catholic church towards science. On the other side you have the authorities of the church who seem to feel a growing concern for it reputation in the field of science. …show more content…

As an italian scientist and scholar he made pioneering observations that laid the foundation for modern physics and astronomy. Galileo was born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy where he eventually attended university and became a mathematics professor. Galileo constructed the first “modern” telescope and supported the heliocentric Copernican theory which would eventually bring about the controversy leading to his persecution. In the latter years of his career Galileo began to openly express his support of the Copernican heliocentric theory. This was challenging to the established order set by the Catholic Church and the doctrine of Aristotle. As Galileo delved further in his heliocentric findings he published various pieces that further contradicted Aristotle and the Church Doctrine such as, his Discourse on Bodies in Water and his Observations of Sunspots.Galileo's finding culminated in him writing a letter to a student in order to explain that the church doctrine was written from an earthly perspective and implied that science provided a differing, more accurate perspective. It was then that the Church's inquisition ordered Galileo not to “hold, teach, or defend in any manner” the Copernican theory regarding the motion of the earth. In 1632, Galileo published the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, which was a conversation between three people: one who supports Copernican theory, one who …show more content…

It can be argued that the printing press both helped Galileo spread his publications on Copernican theory as well hurt him by assisting the church, providing evidence for Galileo's prosecution. Take the Letter to the Grand Duchess for example, which was initially a private letter. Once it was leaked, the printing press was able to be used to create a large amount of duplicate copies which were able to be distributed to wide audiences. This exposed his theological opinions to society and gave them the opportunities to form an opinion about his theories of their own. Being that only a handful of scholars were in the heliocentric camp at the time, Galileo's theological debates most likely did not go over well with the general public. This subsequently may have led the evangelical side of Italian society to pressure the church to prosecute Galileo to the full extent. The printing press allowed a ripple effect to occur by spreading Galileo's publications and teachings more rapidly than may have been possible in previous

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The second was the Ptolemaic or Earth-centered Universe, were the sun orbits the Earth. Galileo faced much opposition from the Catholic Church, and was repeatedly harassed and condemned by his contemporaries. The letter he wrote to Christina was to clearly state his view of mixing science and religion. He projected himself as a man that was only trying to expose the truth, but he was also trying to

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After Galileo came out with his opinions on science and different ideas the church made him denounce his opinions Pope Paul VIII was the first person to second guest galileo and call for the inquisition. Galileo also refined the design of the telescope which developed a tool that could magnify eight times and caused controversy among science and the church. After having Galileo denounce his finding the church became more opposed to science due to

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Galileo’s theories portrayed a heliocentric solar system while the Catholic Church had said it was geocentric; as a result, Galileo’s works were put on the Index of Prohibited Books and he was later put under house arrest by the Inquisition. A letter from an Italian monk in Document 3 depicts how religious figures would try to convince him to retract his discovery of the moon having craters in order to avoid confusion and contradiction of the Bible, which portrays how religious figures hindered the progress of the Scientific Revolution because these new ideas challenged the Bible and their old

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Galileo’s Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina argues that Nicholas Copernicus’ idea about the Earth’s rotation orbiting the sun once a year does not in fact have anything to do with the scripture in the Catholic Bible. Galileo is simply stating a theory that he believes is true and scientifically proven. His ideas came to life in a time when many were questioning their beliefs surrounding the church and ideas that they have had in the past. Galileo was very science- oriented and many of his ideas and teachings did not align, and in some cases directly conflicted, with what the Catholic Church preached.

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However, the characters were each supposed to be interpreted as representing a model and the conversations were meant to prove the author’s underlying argument. With this, Galileo was able to put forth his theory, which would change how people viewed the world, without fear of punishment from the Catholic Church. This is because if his objectives were questioned, he could argue that his book had no intent of dissenting from the church and supporting the heliocentric model if he was

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Galileo continued to study the heliocentric and in 1932, he even published a book called Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World System supporting Copernicus’s theory. ( The Scientific Revolution) . Galileo publishing the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World System supporting Copernicus’s showed that Galileo supported the Heliocentric theory. Galileo teaching the opposite of what the church had to say makes Galileo a

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He published these observations in the book Sidereus Nuncius (1610). The Catholic Church had formerly opposed Copernicus already in 1543, and met Galileo with the same opposition. The Church declared any documents on heliocentric theory were to be banned and considered heretical in 1616. That same year, Galileo proposed a new theory regarding tides, and three years later one regarding comets, claiming these as proof of the earth’s motion. Eventually in 1632, Galileo published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, which became very popular, much to the alarm of the Catholic Church.

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In 1610 when Galileo published his findings in support of a heliocentric universe in his book Starry messenger, the Catholic church became increasingly concerned that if bible scripture based on Aristotelian philosophy was undermined, it would cast doubt on Aristotle's credibility and the church's theological doctrines. With the assertion that "in questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual" he managed to upset the powerful and influential peoples in the church and was called to answer charges brought against him by the Inquisition.(Coudert PPT) In 1615 Galileo's letter was written in an

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Galileo was first charged with heresy in the year of 1613, during that time he wrote a letter to a student who he was teaching defending Copernicans theory stating that the Earth revolves around the sun. After Galileo realized that researched had convinced that Copernicus research had convinced him that Copernicus's ideas did not deny the Bible. He explained that the passages in the bible were written from someone in the perspective of the earth and should not be taken seriously. Officials of the Roman Inquisition announced that the beliefs of Copernicus were differing and ordered that the theory in writing or orally.  

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Galileo also doubted the Geocentric theory, where the Sun revolves around the Earth. Galileo thought it was only based on empirical evidence and he could prove it wrong. In 1609 is when he made a telescope that opened up a window for new discoveries. Galileo proved the Geocentric theory wrong and created the Copernican system. With this telescope, Galileo

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Prior to the publication of Galileo Galilei’s (1564-1642) Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632), the Congregation of the Index issued a public decree which condemned the heliocentric model along with any books supporting or seemingly supporting the tenets of the Copernican model. Consequently, Galileo, who was already in conflict with the church over letters he sent to the Grand Duchess Christina (1565-1637) and Benedetto Castelli (1578-1643) which depicted him as a supporter of the Copernican model, could no longer express his support or publish evidence supporting the Copernican model. The election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini (1568-1644) as Pope Urban VIII in 1623, though, “put an end to Galileo’s silence” because he was

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It’s been said that because Copernicus was so well respected in the church, officials didn’t believe that he was actually suggesting the Earth could be moving around the Sun (Miller 27). Because of this, Copernicus did not face any threats of being tried for heresy, going against the church’s beliefs. This allowed him to continue his works in peace for a short time. It was the Protestants that brought it to attention to the Catholic Church that Copernicus was going against the church completely and he actually was suggesting the Earth could be moving around the Sun (Somervill 68).

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Galileo was called to Rome in 1616 by the inquisition to face charges of heresy. Galileo was cleared of the heresy charges but the Church “forbade Galileo from writing about, teaching, or otherwise advocating the Copernican system” (source). While he was forbidden to speak openly against the falsity of the geocentric system, Galileo continued to study astronomy physics and motion until 1632 when he published the, "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems," with the blessing of the pope, under the order that it be an impartial comparison of the heliocentric and geocentric ideas. Galileo’s book had a clear bias towards the heliocentric ideology and was therefore called to trial against the inquisition yet again.

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The Acceptance of the Heliocentric Model Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer, and physicist, played a pivotal role in solidifying the acceptance of the heliocentric model. Galileo made significant astronomical observations using the newly invented telescope that supported Copernicus's heliocentric theory. He discovered the phases of Venus, the moons of Jupiter, and the irregularities on the Moon's surface, all of which defied the geocentric model. However, Galileo's advocacy of the heliocentric model brought him into conflict with the Church, and he faced persecution

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546 Words | 3 Pages

“In 1616, the church banned Nicolaus Copernicus’ book “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres,” published in 1543, which contained the theory that the Earth revolved around the sun.” The church banning this book shows their ignorance. They want science to follow what the books say, instead of going against these religious morals. Another source says, “It was a great embarrassment to the Catholic Church that it opposed the Copernican explanation of the cosmos and took so long to acknowledge its error and treatment of Galileo.” (Jessica Wolf, 2016)

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