Transcript Galileo: trial & aftermath

Galileo: trial & aftermath
 The trial of 1633
The charge: Galileo
had disobeyed
Bellarmine’s order of
1616.
The Copernican
theory was not
debated at the trial.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 1
Galileo: trial & aftermath
Galileo was convicted.
Sentence: Banning of
the Dialogue;
imprisonment; &
reading of penetential
Psalms.
The sentence of
imprisonment was
immediately changed
by Urban VIII to
house arrest.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 2
Galileo: trial & aftermath
After leaving Rome,
Galileo resided for
several months with
his friend, Archbishop
Piccolomini of Siena.
Then returned to his
villa Arcetri outside of
Florence.
Resumed his scientific
research.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 3
Galileo: trial & aftermath
Gradually become
blind.
Died at Arcetri in
1642.
Buried in church of
Santa Croce, Florence,
across from
Michelangelo.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 4
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina
(1613; 1615; 1636)
Is principally a discussion about how to
handle conflicts between scripture and
science
The passages at issue: Psalm 92:1; Psalm
103:5; Ecclesiastes 1:5.
Appeal to the authority of Augustine for
interpreting some passages of scripture
metaphorically.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 5
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
The two-book metaphor (182 & 183).
God reveals self in two ways--nature
and the Bible
Thus no contradiction between these
two forms of revelation is possible-truth is one.
The significance of the two book
metaphor for the relation between
science & religion
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 6
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
The Principle of Accommodation – the
scriptures were often written in plain
language to accommodate the
understanding of common people.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 7
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
Principle of modification by scientific
demonstration (183, 194, 197, 206-07)
If there is a conflict between science
and scripture, then the interpretation of
scripture must be changed only where
the scientific position has been
demonstrated.
Otherwise the traditional interpretation
of scripture stands.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 8
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
How Galileo thought this applied to
Copernicanism -- the argument from
tides
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 9
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
Principle of Neutrality (183, 185, 186) –
Scripture is neutral with respect to
scientific theory & when scripture says
something about physical phenomena,
these statements have no bearing on
science. “The intention of the Holy Spirit is
to teach us how one goes to heaven, not
how the heavens go” (186).
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 10
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
Comments on the letter
The P. of modification by scientific
demonstration appeals to a very high
standard for scientific truth--certitude,
conclusive proof--one proposed by
Bellarmine--.
But it was also the standard of Aristotle,
& on this issue, Galileo accepted
Aristotle’s position.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 11
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
Shea proposes that Galileo blundered
by accepting Bellarmine’s high standard
(Shea 122).
The two principles are inconsistent.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 12
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
Note the shift in the burden of proof in the
two principles.
Under the P. of the Modification by
Scientific Demonstration, the burden of
proof is on those challenging the traditional
interpretation of scripture. The traditional
interpretation is to be adopted unless there
is reason to believe that the passage should
be read metaphorically & the only relevant
reason for this is what can be demonstrated
scientifically.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 13
Galileo: Letter to the Grand Duchess
 Under the Principle of Neutrality, the
burden of proof is on those who claim a
traditional interpretation of passages of
scripture dealing with the natural world.
The Principle of Neutrality is commonplace
in contemporary biblical hermeneutics.
The Principle of Neutrality may be a good
principle for biblical hermeneutics, but is it
a good principle for the relationship
between science and religion generally?
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 14
Galileo: interpreting the trial
Interpreting the trial
Was it simply a clash of religious authority
with a scientist’s freedom of expression?
Some other factors
Galileo’s personality
Copernicanism was not well-confirmed
The attitude of the Roman censors was
that Galileo had no right to meddle in
biblical hermeneutics (Shea in L&N 119).
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 15
Galileo: interpreting the trial
The new conservatism of Rome in the
face of the Reformation. William Shea:
“In this climate of opinion a revolution in
science or any field of human endeavor
could easily be perceived as a threat
unless shown to agree with the
teachings of the church” (L&N 118).
See also Westman 86.
Part of this new conservatism was a
new biblical literalism.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 16
Galileo: interpreting the trial
A change in worldview – demotion of
place of humans in the universe; the
idea of the fittingness of humans at the
center of the universe. Thomas Kuhn:
“Copernicanism was potentially
destructive of an entire fabric of
thought. . . . More than a few lines of
scripture were at stake.” (The
Copernican Revolution 192).
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 17
Galileo: interpreting the trial
The alliance of Aristotle with Catholic
theology via Aquinas at the Council of
Trent (1545-1563). Shea comments that
the Counter-Reformation turned
Aristotelianism into rigid dogma (L&N
115).
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 18
Galileo: postscript
The 1992 Vatican apologia
In October of 1992, Pope John Paul II
before the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences, offered an apology for the
Galileo affair.
Cardinal Paul Poupard of France gave
the speech (he headed the commission
which studied the case).
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 19
Galileo: postscript
Theologians who attacked Galileo
failed to understand the Scripture
should not be taken literally when it
described the physical world. No one
is named, but the reference is to
“theological advisors” (members of
the hierarchy are not mentioned).
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 20
Galileo: postscript
Galileo suffered greatly from these
errors.
Complemented Galileo for being
more perceptive in his interpretation
of Scripture than the theologians who
opposed him.
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 21
Galileo: postscript
Nothing was said about the
condemnation of 1616, which set off the
chain of events leading to the trial
Galileo: trial & aftermath - slide 22