Incredible Galileo

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Stillman Drake, the author of Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo, describes Galileo's opposition as “... professors who regarded the new method as injuries to philosophy and by priests who believed the new criterion of truth to be inimical to religion.” Drake is accurate in his statement that the opposition put forward by Galileo's accusers was regarded as an injury to philosophy, but Galileo's opposition focused primarily on the need to check unbridled spirits about the judgment and interpretation of holy scripture; in addition Galileo's opposition and defense also had undeniable scientific and epistemological aspects. Moreover I argue that Galileo in return created an argument that focused upon his belief that scientific discovery should not be held in the jurisdiction of the catholic church, that the core of Galileo's argument revolves around his belief that the components of a new “scientific method” and the new criterion of truth should not be held under church scrutiny.

During a time of protestant reformation, the Catholic Church convened the Council of Trent (1545-1563) in order to maintain orthodoxy among the people. The Catholics primarily focused on traditional and appropriate individuals of the church to interpret holy scripture whereas the protestant reformation preached individual pluralistic interpretation, thus threatening the catholic church and causing the church to become highly sensitive. (12) In the year 1954, the council decreed that “...no one relying on his own judgment shall, in matters of faith and morals pertaining to edification of Christian doctrine, distorting the Holy Scriptures in accordance with his own conceptions, presume to interpret them contrary to that sense which holy mother Chur...

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...s reply to Ingoli (1624), eight years after the Inquisitions verdict, remained devote on his belief that scientific discovery should not be at the jurisdiction of the Catholic church since he boldly stated to Ingoli that “...I must tell you that in natural phenomena human authority is worthless.” (178)

Throughout his entire defense Galileo argued that natural phenomena and scientific discovery should not be under the church’s jurisdiction. Galileo's magnificent discovery gave way to the everlasting feud of religion versus nature, the new criterion of truth, the new scientific method, scientific independence, and ultimately the foundation of humans natural inalienable rights. By defending his beliefs Galileo was able to convey his message by means of science, religion, and philosophy and ultimately paved the road for future scientists and moral philosophers.

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