Comparison Of Galileo Galilei's Letter To The Copernican Theory?

In 1615, Galileo Galilei wrote the Letter to the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. The purpose of the letter was to persuade the duchess of Tuscany, Christina of the validity behind the Copernican theory.To defend the Copernican theory, Galileo argues that theology shouldn’t be involved with the sciences. This is one of the arguments that sparked the debate of what we know today, as science versus religion. The whole controversy started with Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus was a German astronomers and mathematician. Copernicus was also the one who hypothesized a heliocentric universe. When his theory of a heliocentric universe was first introduced, no one really paid much attention to his theory. Sixty years after Copernicus 's death, the

In his letter, Galileo shifts his focus to arguments that would potentially defend the Copernican theory, and himself as a believer. One of the subtle arguments made by Galileo was that the Copernican theory is a matter of opinions. Galileo is arguing that everyone is entitled to have their own opinions and ideas. His opinions just so happened to go against the teachings from the Bible. Thus, the church declared his ideas and opinions to be heretical. In the letter, Galileo asks, “can an opinion be heretical and yet have no concern with the salvation of souls?”(Galilei). Which basically Galileo is saying, “so what if my opinions are heretical, does that have anything to do with receiving salvation from God”. Galileo utilizes this argument to develop a bigger argument. Galileo says “That the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes”(Galilei). Meaning the Bible has nothing to do with teaching people how the universe works. The whole point of the Bible in the first place was to teach people how to receive salvation from God. Therefore, the Copernican theory doesn’t interfere with people from reaching salvation. Thus, it is not an excuse for the church to claim, that the Copernican theory is against the teachings of

Is that he considers theology as the “queen” of sciences. Galileo’s intention of entitling theology as the queen of all science is not to consider that theology reigns over the other sciences. Rather to distinguish the two in the sense of superiority. In Galileo’s words, he says, “it might deserve that name by reason of including everything that is included from all the other sciences and establishing everything by better methods and with profound learning”(Galilei). Galileo considers theology to be the queen of all sciences because all lesser sciences contain a characteristic that originates from theology. Then Galileo says, “If she does not descend to the lower and humbler speculations of the subordinate sciences and has no regard for them because they are not concerned with blessedness, then her professors should not arrogate to themselves the authority to decide on controversies in professions which they have neither studied nor practiced”(Galilei). Galileo is basically saying, theologians should not meddle with matters that 's not in their realm. Especially producing any claims on matters that they haven’t studied or practiced. Ultimately Galileo is just making another argument as to telling theologians to mind their own business. At the same time leave, people like Galileo to explain the natural phenomenon that occurs in the