![]() When science facts get in the way of profit, then the science is regarded as “fake news,” or “bad science,” or simply disregarded and ignored. This time the holy writ is profit, unrestrained capitalism, profit no matter the cost. In his biography, Livio notes we are in another era of science denial. “John Paul said the theologians who condemned Galileo did not recognize the formal distinction between the Bible and its interpretation.” On 31 October 1992, Pope John Paul II acknowledged that the Church had erred in condemning Galileo for asserting that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Yet, in the end, Gallileo has been proven right and the Catholic Church has been forced to issue a formal apology. Galileo spent the last eight and a half years of his life under house arrest. In the case of Galileo, the science deniers triumphed for a time over the science. Galileo is, after all a father of astrophysics. 2Īll this come to mind because WC recently finished reading Livio’s Galileo and the Science Deniers, the first biography of Galileo written by an astrophysicist. It isn’t mentioned, according to biographer Mario Livio, until the 1757 book, The Italian Library, by Giuseppe Baretti, written over 100 years after Galileo’s death. Galileo’s protege and first biographer, Vincenzo Viviana wrote his biography between 1655-1656, and did not mention of the phrase. ![]() But Galileo thought that where there was an apparent contradiction between observed facts and the Bible, the contradiction arose from misunderstanding the Bible. Found “vehemently suspect of heresy,” 1 it’s pretty unlikely he would have said anything sounding like heresy in front of his Inquisitor, even muttering. He respected the authority of the Catholic Church. He just thought that the Bible was a lousy science book. It turns out that mutter probably didn’t happen. Legend has it that after he recanted, while still in the presence of the Inquisitor, he muttered, “ E pur si muove“ (“And yet it moves”), meaning the Earth did orbit the Sun. Catholic Church dogma said the Sun orbited the Earth. He was forced to recant his theory that the Earth orbited the Sun. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was tried by the inquisition, charged with suspicion of heresy. Portrait of Galileo Galilei by Justus Sustermans, circa 1640
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |