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Popular perceptions of Galileo

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2010

Dava Sobel
Dava Sobel*
Affiliation:
Discover Magazine, USA email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Among the most persistent popular misperceptions of Galileo is the image of an irreligious scientist who opposed the Catholic Church and was therefore convicted of heresy–was even excommunicated, according to some accounts, and denied Christian burial. In fact, Galileo considered himself a good Catholic. He accepted the Bible as the true word of God on matters pertaining to salvation, but insisted Scripture did not teach astronomy. Emboldened by his discovery of the Medicean Moons, he took a stand on Biblical exegesis that has since become the official Church position.

Keywords

Science and faithastronomy and the BibleIndex of Prohibited Booksblindness
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 6 , Symposium S269: Galileo's Medicean Moons: their impact on 400 years of discovery , January 2010 , pp. 7 - 12
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

References

Galilei, Galileo, Sidereus Nuncius or A Sidereal Message, Translated from the Latin by Shea, William R.. Introduction and Notes by William R. Shea and Tiziana Bascelli, Sagamore Beach, Mass.: Watson, 2009Google Scholar
Galilei, Galileo, Sidereus Nuncius or The Sideral Messenger, Translated with introduction, conclusion and notes by Van Helden, Albert, Chicago: University of Chicago, 1989CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sobel, D., Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love, New York: Walker, 1999Google Scholar