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Galileo's advancements in science
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Galileo's advancements in science
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Other scientists like Nicolas Copernicus believed in the Heliocentric Theory. At first, it didn’t explain how the planets orbits the way they did and was very hesitant to share it with others. In 1601, another scientist named Johannes Kepler proved that Copernicus idea was correct. They show that the planets rotate around the sun. Another method Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo developed was called the Scientific Method.
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.
In the discourse involving Galileo’s findings and theories, there has been much reference to the works of the pagan Aristotle. While his genius is indisputable, his ignorance is also evident in matters of which we have newfound knowledge. Consequently, his writings on such subjects as astronomy must be considered only under heavy scrutiny. This scrutiny reveals, as shall be demonstrated, Galileo’s rectitude in supporting the Copernican model of the movement of the Earth.
Galileo was an Italian scientist that built many theories about astronomy. One of Galileo's theories encourage the belief of the heliocentric theory which states that the earth in the center of the universe. This statement goes against what the Catholic Church had to say. The Church believed in the geocentric theory is the correct way on how the earth was formed. This caused havoc in
By using his eyes, Galileo confirmed the heliocentric theory and created his own in reply: the Copernican theory. His theory stated that the sun was at the center of the universe, with the earth and other planets rotating around it in elliptical paths and at uniform speeds. Copernicus had used Bacon’s implications that “seeing is believing.” He also theorized that the other planets were made of substances similar to those found on earth. These two ideas even furthered the notion that humans were not special to God because they inhabited an earth that looked like all the other planets.
With a talent in math and science he used his skills to build the first telescope and use it to view the moon in a way it never had been before. Galileos continued observations of other planets reaffirmed his belief in the Copernican theory which posits that the Earth and planets revolve around the sun. However, the catholic church's teachings at the time supported a geocentric worldview based on Ptolemy and the works of philosopher Aristotle. They taught that the Earth was the center of the universe and the realm of imperfection and sin. The heavens were the realm of perfection where objects move in perfect eternal circles without beginning or end, and that the sun and these planets revolved around the Earth.
Galileo (1564-1642) radically changed our human understanding of the universe. The Polish astronomer Copernicus had wisely waited until after his own death in 1543 to allow a report to be published that stated the sun – not the earth – was the center of the solar system. The Church declared Copernicus a heretic and burned his books. Galileo believed that if he proved that Copernicus was correct by direct observation through his telescope, everyone would accept it as the truth—big mistake! He used his telescope to see four moons of Jupiter, craters on the moon, and the phases of Venus’ orbit around the sun, and in 1609 published his book, The Starry Messenger, which supported Copernicus’ theory.
Galileo’s influences were a big part of his success as a scientist. Copernicus greatly influenced Galileo. Copernicus created the sun-center, or heliocentric, theory. This astronomical theory stated that the sun is the stationary center of the universe and that all planets, including Earth, rotated around it. Although the Catholic Church did not support this theory, Galileo strongly believed that it was true, and attempted to help prove it, using his newly renovated telescope.
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
In 1616, an order was issued by the Church declaring the Copernican system "false and erroneous," and Galileo were instructed not to support this system (Findlen). Years passed and the church still believed in their announcement since, but it wasn’t until Galileo died that the church realized their mistake with Galileo and
The open-minded Galileo advocated that the earth revolves around the sun, with which few agreed during his lifetime,
He said that heavier objects fall faster to the ground quicker than lighter objects without any experiments or evidence. That idea seemed logical so no one questioned it until Galileo Galilei proved that theory wrong by dropping two different weight balls from The Leaning Tower. They both landed at the same time so that theory was wrong.
Copernicus developed the heliocentric theory which claimed that the earth revolved around the sun. This immediately challenged the authorities who believed the opposite. Galileo furthered Copernicus’ argument and promoted that the Bible, that God
In a letter to Cristina of Lorraine, the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Galileo gives a perfectly sound and rational argument as to why the church should not be charging him as a heretic for his belief in the heliocentric model when the bible is going against what they see with their own eyes. Furthermore, Galileo argues that, contrary to popular belief at the time, the bible should only be used to help us understand abstruse concepts and what is needed for salvation, not to explain the natural world. In a lot of ways, Galileo’s argument paves the way for separation between church and state, as well as the age-old conflict between science and religion that is still discussed even till today. However, what I found interesting here is that Galileo actually believed that his beliefs went hand in hand with the bible. He tries to justify his beliefs according to the bible by arguing that God gave us a brain in order
Aristotle had said that the earth was the center of the universe, and no one ever questioned him. Aristotle had also made assumptions in the field of physics and Galileo was the first to go against them. Galileo made many discoveries with his telescope that were significant to science during the Renaissance. To view the solar system, Galileo made a telescope on his own. He had heard of the invention from a Dutch eyeglass maker, and improved his design.