Galileo 1 by Tom There is a fine article explaining the Galileo situation and trial on this site written by Deb: http://www.skyscript.co.uk/galileo.html I've had a mild interest in the case ever since I first read it, and that interest was piqued again recently by an article I read on a non-astrological website. The author of that article recommended two books on the subject, one I just finished and the other I will begin shortly. The one I finished is Galileo, Science, and the Church by Jerome J. Langford. Mine is the paperback copy of the first edition written in 1966. I've subsequently learned that the book is something of a standard reference on the case and has gone through three editions updated as new information emerged, the most recent was published in I think 1993. I found almost no information on Langford other than he is (was? I don't know if he is still living) a Roman Catholic Priest. Langford's position is that Galileo, under laws and practices that existed in the 17th century, got a raw deal. He also thinks the Church got a raw deal in subsequent history books and quotes some of the more outrageous assertions made in contemporary history texts and some by people who should have known better. What is clear is that the Roman Church did not, as a group, come down on Galileo with both feet in an unequivocal conviction that he was a heretic. In fact if Langford is correct, the main culprits in the anti-Galileo factions were academics. There are other interesting facts that throw a different light on the subject. For example Copernicus dedicated his work making the case for a heliocentric system to the then current pope, who in turn encouraged him to continue his work. Copernicus did not withhold publication of his book until his death out of fear of the Church but rather out of fear of ridicule from the academe. In fact his work was commissioned while he was alive and he saw a copy shortly before he died. Very shortly. I think it was a couple of days. Galileo made a deal, a sort of 17th century plea bargain, with the Inquisition that would have resulted in his getting off easy, but someone or several people gave Pope Urban a lopsided summary of the trial favoring the prosecution that resulted in a much harsher punishment meted out in accordance with the pope's wishes. Astrologers have much to gain by reading this book as well particularly the last section titled "Philosophy and Science." In very few words, Langford summarizes the profound consequences of Galileo's assertions. In today's jargon we would be talking of a paradigm shift, but paradigm earthquake is more like it, and not just on the theological side. When Galileo postulated that the universe could only be understood with math, he switched the worldview from one of knowledge through nature to knowledge through mechanics. If there was no Galileo, there would have been no Newton for quite some time. I've never read Morin's "refutation" of Galileo. It's in Latin. But I can now see that whatever he wrote was more likely written out of an effort to hold on to his worldview rather than simple ego as I might have thought before. Psychologists tell us that although we all use defense mechanisms to get through the day, when our defense mechanisms become our worldview, we have a problem. Once that defense mechanism is solidly in place, if it is ever irrefutably challenged, that person might and often does become violent (e.g. "going postal"). Although Morin was not crazy, it is understandable why he would vehemently object to Galileo's beliefs as they challenged the core of everything he believed, not just what moved and what didn't. Man's place in the cosmos, how he learned, the way the universe was organized and why, were all fundamentally challenged. The same is true of the world at large at that time. The paradigm shift was too much to accept all at one time without proof . Father Langford does not excuse the Inquisition (This is the Italian Inquisition, not the infamous Spanish Inquisition) as they had sufficient Church law and precedent to handle this differently. Nor does he excuse Galileo for demanding that everyone accept what he said without proof. It was a mess, and the Church, unfortunately ended up the big loser. Good stuff to read though. I found a copy using ABE Books for about $4.00 US including shipping. Best 4 bucks I've spent in a while. Tom Quote Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:19 am
2 by mattG Thank for the recommendation. I found a second hand copy on amazon.co.uk for about a fiver and have placed an order. By chance I am reading Peter French on John Dee and today read about his reaction to Copernicus and the notion that heliocentricity was not a completely new idea and that it confirmed hermetic ideas like "At the centre of it all rests the Sun" Matthew Quote Thu Jun 04, 2009 2:45 pm