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Galileo: Science, Faith, and the Catholic Church
What can Galileo's extraordinary life and profound legacy teach us today? Galileo's story is a touchstone in debates about science and religion, but our preconceptions inevitably color the way we see the issues. To understand who Galileo was, what he accomplished, and what you can learn from his triumphs and failures, you need a great teacher to place him in context by exploring the cosmologies, political and religious and historical events, and famous people of his generation. You also need to get a sense of the man himself: from his family background and early ambitions to the person he grew into as he became a father, rising celebrity, literary lion, and ultimately an infirm but unbroken old man. In Galileo: Science, Faith, and the Catholic Church, you will explore the context and implications of the Galileo affair-the events that culminated in his condemnation by the Roman Catholic Church. You can take no better guide than Dr. Guy Consolmagno, a renowned astronomer, Jesuit brother, and popular writer. The Galileo affair resonates with our own times. Although the debate about an earth or sun-centered universe is long past, the ways we react to new ideas hasn't changed at all. All of the hopes, fears, and misunderstandings that surrounded Galileo and his opponents, we still face today in our encounters with science and religion. By spending time with Galileo and his story, you will enrich your own faith and increase your understanding of science and religion.
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Published January 1, 2015
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About the author
Guy Consolmagno
32 books45 followersAmerican research astronomer and planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory.
B.A. and M.A. at MIT, Ph.D. at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, all in planetary science. After postdoctoral research and teaching at Harvard College Observatory and MIT, in 1983 he joined the US Peace Corps to serve in Kenya for two years, teaching astronomy and physics. After his return he took a position as Assistant Professor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
In 1989 he entered the Society of Jesus, and took vows as a brother in 1991. On entry into the order, he was assigned as an astronomer to the Vatican Observatory, where he also serves as curator of the Vatican Meteorite collection, positions he has held since then. In addition to his continuing professional work in planetary science, he has also studied philosophy and theology. (source: Wikipedia)
B.A. and M.A. at MIT, Ph.D. at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, all in planetary science. After postdoctoral research and teaching at Harvard College Observatory and MIT, in 1983 he joined the US Peace Corps to serve in Kenya for two years, teaching astronomy and physics. After his return he took a position as Assistant Professor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
In 1989 he entered the Society of Jesus, and took vows as a brother in 1991. On entry into the order, he was assigned as an astronomer to the Vatican Observatory, where he also serves as curator of the Vatican Meteorite collection, positions he has held since then. In addition to his continuing professional work in planetary science, he has also studied philosophy and theology. (source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 11, 2024
Galileo is the favorite example of how religion generally, and the Catholic Church in particular, hates science. It's trotted out as proof whenever the subject is raised.
Have you ever asked yourself why other, equally impressive, examples of the Catholic Church's hostility to science aren't also used? Yeah, it's because there aren't others. The Church learned from the Galileo mistake. It wasn't Rome that denounce Darwin's theory of evolution. It was some Protestant churches that were scandalized by it. The first pope to speak about evolution was Pius XII, in 1950. He said that there wasn't enough evidence yet to accept it as a proven doctrine, but there was nothing in it that inherently contradicted Catholic doctrine. The Catholic Church has never favored strictly literal reading of the Bible, including Genesis, and this makes flexibility of mind on certain scientific issues and how they interact with faith rather easier.
As a child in Catholic Sunday school, later in parochial school, and still later in a Catholic women's college, I learned that the Bible is about our relationship with God, not a textbook on the natural world. Much of it is intended as history, passed down orally for many generations before being written down. Much of it is poetry. Much of it is parable. And multiple types of readings are possible for all of it. Its meaning is complex and layered.
So, what happened with Galileo? A lot! Galileo's experience with the Church and his observations of Jupiter's moons didn't happen in a vacuum. The Thirty Years' War was going on, and that was not only, but primarily, a war between Protestants and Catholics. Except that Catholic France was fighting on the Protestant side. There was conflict in Italy, with the Medicis being the most important bankers in Europe, and one part of the Medici family funding the Catholics, and another part funding the Protestants.
The papacy was in a sometimes precarious position, but had ties with both parts of the Medici family. So did Galileo.
All these things created both political and religious pressures that the pope couldn't ignore.
That whole "the Earth is the center of the universe" thing? No one cared. No one involved in the controversy cared about that, or even mentioned it, in the many reams of paper written about Galileo and the controversy over his work.
What they did care about was something that will sound the same to modern ears, but was very different to educated people of Galileo's time. The controversy related to Galileo's work was not whether the Earth was the center of the universe, but whether or not the Earth moved. There are two places in the Bible where the Earth is said or implied to be stationary.
And the reason this mattered was because Protestants were accusing the Catholic Church of not taking scripture seriously. Galileo, a pious Catholic, good friend of Pope Urban VIII, saying the Earth moved, was an opening for attack on that front.
Pope Urban VIII was a patron of the arts and what we now know as science but in his day was known as philosophy.
Galileo was also friendly with the Jesuit order.
Copernicus's system was in wide use during this time, because it worked. It was published, it was taught, it was used and relied on. Galileo didn't get in trouble for that. It's not 100% clear exactly what the trigger for his trial was, but Copernicus hadn't gotten anyone in trouble in quite a while.
Galileo's book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, might have been it. Or it might not. There was a lot going on that might have been the reason, or might not have. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that it wasn't one thing alone. It was the whole swirling sets of conflicts that put Urban VIII it a position where he decided he had to be actively seen to be defending the Church's orthodoxy, as well as its position in Europe.
Also, Galileo had a great gift both for making friends, and for making enemies.
It's worth noting, though, what happened to Galileo after his conviction. He was sentenced to house arrest, comfortably housed, and subsequently allowed to move his place of house arrest to someplace he preferred. He couldn't travel, but he could and did receive visitors. He continued to publish--some of his most important work was published during his years of house arrest.
Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, PhD, Director of the Vatican Observatory, and, he freely admits, amateur historian, does a wonderful job of capturing and expressing the complexity and confusion of the period, how this may have affected Galileo's career and trial, and Galileo's strengths and weaknesses as a scientist. He comes back repeatedly to the fact that Galileo, when he looked through that telescope, understood what he was looking at, when others didn't. Looking at Jupiter and seeing its moons was important. So was looking at our Moon and seeing, not just splotches and dark patches, but mountains and craters, was at least as important.
Have you ever asked yourself why other, equally impressive, examples of the Catholic Church's hostility to science aren't also used? Yeah, it's because there aren't others. The Church learned from the Galileo mistake. It wasn't Rome that denounce Darwin's theory of evolution. It was some Protestant churches that were scandalized by it. The first pope to speak about evolution was Pius XII, in 1950. He said that there wasn't enough evidence yet to accept it as a proven doctrine, but there was nothing in it that inherently contradicted Catholic doctrine. The Catholic Church has never favored strictly literal reading of the Bible, including Genesis, and this makes flexibility of mind on certain scientific issues and how they interact with faith rather easier.
As a child in Catholic Sunday school, later in parochial school, and still later in a Catholic women's college, I learned that the Bible is about our relationship with God, not a textbook on the natural world. Much of it is intended as history, passed down orally for many generations before being written down. Much of it is poetry. Much of it is parable. And multiple types of readings are possible for all of it. Its meaning is complex and layered.
So, what happened with Galileo? A lot! Galileo's experience with the Church and his observations of Jupiter's moons didn't happen in a vacuum. The Thirty Years' War was going on, and that was not only, but primarily, a war between Protestants and Catholics. Except that Catholic France was fighting on the Protestant side. There was conflict in Italy, with the Medicis being the most important bankers in Europe, and one part of the Medici family funding the Catholics, and another part funding the Protestants.
The papacy was in a sometimes precarious position, but had ties with both parts of the Medici family. So did Galileo.
All these things created both political and religious pressures that the pope couldn't ignore.
That whole "the Earth is the center of the universe" thing? No one cared. No one involved in the controversy cared about that, or even mentioned it, in the many reams of paper written about Galileo and the controversy over his work.
What they did care about was something that will sound the same to modern ears, but was very different to educated people of Galileo's time. The controversy related to Galileo's work was not whether the Earth was the center of the universe, but whether or not the Earth moved. There are two places in the Bible where the Earth is said or implied to be stationary.
And the reason this mattered was because Protestants were accusing the Catholic Church of not taking scripture seriously. Galileo, a pious Catholic, good friend of Pope Urban VIII, saying the Earth moved, was an opening for attack on that front.
Pope Urban VIII was a patron of the arts and what we now know as science but in his day was known as philosophy.
Galileo was also friendly with the Jesuit order.
Copernicus's system was in wide use during this time, because it worked. It was published, it was taught, it was used and relied on. Galileo didn't get in trouble for that. It's not 100% clear exactly what the trigger for his trial was, but Copernicus hadn't gotten anyone in trouble in quite a while.
Galileo's book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, might have been it. Or it might not. There was a lot going on that might have been the reason, or might not have. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that it wasn't one thing alone. It was the whole swirling sets of conflicts that put Urban VIII it a position where he decided he had to be actively seen to be defending the Church's orthodoxy, as well as its position in Europe.
Also, Galileo had a great gift both for making friends, and for making enemies.
It's worth noting, though, what happened to Galileo after his conviction. He was sentenced to house arrest, comfortably housed, and subsequently allowed to move his place of house arrest to someplace he preferred. He couldn't travel, but he could and did receive visitors. He continued to publish--some of his most important work was published during his years of house arrest.
Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, PhD, Director of the Vatican Observatory, and, he freely admits, amateur historian, does a wonderful job of capturing and expressing the complexity and confusion of the period, how this may have affected Galileo's career and trial, and Galileo's strengths and weaknesses as a scientist. He comes back repeatedly to the fact that Galileo, when he looked through that telescope, understood what he was looking at, when others didn't. Looking at Jupiter and seeing its moons was important. So was looking at our Moon and seeing, not just splotches and dark patches, but mountains and craters, was at least as important.
November 5, 2024
Listened on audio, very good narration.
This was surprisingly interesting, despite the blatant defence of the Jesuits.
This was surprisingly interesting, despite the blatant defence of the Jesuits.
February 24, 2023
I enjoyed this perspective of Galileo's accomplishments as presented within the context of Europe's religious, political and scientific turmoil at the time, as present by a Jesuit priest and astronomer. It is told mostly from a Jesuit perspective, but provides insight for the scientific challenges amid criticism from the Catholic Church. The major point he develops is the Church did not reject all his scientific conclusions and more broadly it supported scientific exploration and discovery. Mr. Consolmagno's training and work as a Vatican priest and also as an accomplished astronomer gives him credibility to address this. He also has a pleasant, easy-going voice for the narration.
July 6, 2024
Excellent overview of the whole story before behind and after the kerfluffle.
February 4, 2023
Thanks to Dr. Consolmango for the entertaining and informative account. As unbiased as it can be written by a Jesuit 😀
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews