I. Activating Prior Knowledge
As you read in the post Document in the Case of Galileo: Indictment 1633, Galileo was accused of heresay against the Roman Catholic Church in 1633. This document laid out the charges against Galileo.
II. Setting A Purpose for Reading
Had you been Galileo, how would you have responded to these charges? Keep in mind that these ideas and teachings were revolutionary at the time. The article that you will be reading is excerpts from a much longer letter that Galileo wrote to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, when the first allegations were made by the Church in 1615. Despite the constant scrutiny of the Catholic Church, Galileo was able to continue his scientific and philosophical work.
As you read, pay close attention to how he addresses the charges as well as how he tries to mediate his scientific discoveries and teachings with those of the religious teachings of the Church.
III. Reading the Text (Read, Re-read, and Read Again)
"Some years ago, as Your Serene Highness well knows, I discovered in the heavens many things that had not been seen before our own age. The novelty of these things, as well as some consequences which followed from them in contradiction to the physical notions commonly held among academic philosophers, stirred up against me no small number of professors-as if I had placed these things in the sky with my own hands in order to upset nature and overturn the sciences. They seemed to forget that the increase of known truths stimulates the investigation, establishment, and growth of the arts; not their diminution or destruction."
STOP! - In this passage, Galileo is making an emotional argument. What phrase or word indicates and appeal to emotion? If you are not sure, re-read the passage.
"Showing a greater fondness for their own opinions than for truth they sought to deny and disprove the new things which, if they had cared to look for themselves, their own senses would have demonstrated to them. To this end they hurled various charges and published numerous writings filled with vain arguments, and they made the grave mistake of sprinkling these with passages taken from places in the Bible which they had failed to understand properly, and which were ill-suited to their purposes."
STOP! - In this passage, what accusations does Galileo make against the Church? If you are not sure, re-read the passage.
"Persisting in their original resolve to destroy me and everything mine by any means they can think of, these men are aware of my views in astronomy and philosophy. They know that as to the arrangement of the parts of the universe, I hold the sun to be situated motionless in the center of the revolution of the celestial orbs while the earth revolves about the sun. They know also that I support this position not only by refuting the arguments of Ptolemy and Aristotle, but by producing many counter-arguments; in particular, some which relate to physical effects whose causes can perhaps be assigned in no other way. In addition there are astronomical arguments derived from many things in my new celestial discoveries that plainly confute the Ptolemaic system while admirably agreeing with and confirming the contrary hypothesis."
STOP! - In this passage, we find evidence of why Galileo's teachings were so revolutionary. If you are not sure, re-read the passage.
(Further down in the letter...)
"This being granted, I think that in discussions of physical problems we ought to begin not from the authority of scriptural passages but from senseexperiences and necessary demonstrations; for the holy Bible and the phenomena of nature proceed alike from the divine Word the former as the dictate of the Holy Ghost and the latter as the observant executrix of God's commands. It is necessary for the Bible, in order to be accomodated to the understanding of every man, to speak many things which appear to differ from the absolute truth so far as the bare meaning of the words is concerned. But Nature, on the other hand, is inexorable and immutable; she never transgresses the laws imposed upon her, or cares a whit whether her abstruse reasons and methods of operation are understandable to men.. For that reason it appears that nothing physical which senseexperience sets before our eyes, or which necessary demonstrations prove to us, ought to be called in question (much less condemned) upon the testimony of biblical passages which may have some different meaning beneath their words. For the Bible is not chained in every expression to conditions as strict as those which govern all physical effects; nor is God any less excellently revealed in Nature's actions than in the sacred statements of the Bible. Perhaps this is what Tertullian meant by these words: 'We conclude that God is known first through Nature, and then again, more particularly, by doctrine, by Nature in His works, and by doctrine in His revealed word."
STOP! In this paragraph, describes the conflict between the Biblical text and the laws of nature. How does Galileo try to resolve this conflict? If you are not sure, re-read the paragraph.
(Further down in the letter...)
"But I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them. He would not require us to deny sense and reason in physical matters which are set before our eyes and minds by direct experience or necessary demonstrations."
STOP! In this paragraph, Galileo describes the gifts that God gave man. What are the gifts and how should we use them?
IV. Personal Reflection
A. Based on your reading of the Document in the Case of Galileo: Indictment 1633 and the Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany in 1615, would you have supported the Roman Catholic Church in their indictment of Galileo or would you have supported Galileo's teachings and ideas? Give evidence to support your response.
V. Peer Reflection - Read one classmate's reflection and respond to what they have written.
As you read in the post Document in the Case of Galileo: Indictment 1633, Galileo was accused of heresay against the Roman Catholic Church in 1633. This document laid out the charges against Galileo.
II. Setting A Purpose for Reading
Had you been Galileo, how would you have responded to these charges? Keep in mind that these ideas and teachings were revolutionary at the time. The article that you will be reading is excerpts from a much longer letter that Galileo wrote to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, when the first allegations were made by the Church in 1615. Despite the constant scrutiny of the Catholic Church, Galileo was able to continue his scientific and philosophical work.
As you read, pay close attention to how he addresses the charges as well as how he tries to mediate his scientific discoveries and teachings with those of the religious teachings of the Church.
III. Reading the Text (Read, Re-read, and Read Again)
"Some years ago, as Your Serene Highness well knows, I discovered in the heavens many things that had not been seen before our own age. The novelty of these things, as well as some consequences which followed from them in contradiction to the physical notions commonly held among academic philosophers, stirred up against me no small number of professors-as if I had placed these things in the sky with my own hands in order to upset nature and overturn the sciences. They seemed to forget that the increase of known truths stimulates the investigation, establishment, and growth of the arts; not their diminution or destruction."
STOP! - In this passage, Galileo is making an emotional argument. What phrase or word indicates and appeal to emotion? If you are not sure, re-read the passage.
"Showing a greater fondness for their own opinions than for truth they sought to deny and disprove the new things which, if they had cared to look for themselves, their own senses would have demonstrated to them. To this end they hurled various charges and published numerous writings filled with vain arguments, and they made the grave mistake of sprinkling these with passages taken from places in the Bible which they had failed to understand properly, and which were ill-suited to their purposes."
STOP! - In this passage, what accusations does Galileo make against the Church? If you are not sure, re-read the passage.
"Persisting in their original resolve to destroy me and everything mine by any means they can think of, these men are aware of my views in astronomy and philosophy. They know that as to the arrangement of the parts of the universe, I hold the sun to be situated motionless in the center of the revolution of the celestial orbs while the earth revolves about the sun. They know also that I support this position not only by refuting the arguments of Ptolemy and Aristotle, but by producing many counter-arguments; in particular, some which relate to physical effects whose causes can perhaps be assigned in no other way. In addition there are astronomical arguments derived from many things in my new celestial discoveries that plainly confute the Ptolemaic system while admirably agreeing with and confirming the contrary hypothesis."
STOP! - In this passage, we find evidence of why Galileo's teachings were so revolutionary. If you are not sure, re-read the passage.
(Further down in the letter...)
"This being granted, I think that in discussions of physical problems we ought to begin not from the authority of scriptural passages but from senseexperiences and necessary demonstrations; for the holy Bible and the phenomena of nature proceed alike from the divine Word the former as the dictate of the Holy Ghost and the latter as the observant executrix of God's commands. It is necessary for the Bible, in order to be accomodated to the understanding of every man, to speak many things which appear to differ from the absolute truth so far as the bare meaning of the words is concerned. But Nature, on the other hand, is inexorable and immutable; she never transgresses the laws imposed upon her, or cares a whit whether her abstruse reasons and methods of operation are understandable to men.. For that reason it appears that nothing physical which senseexperience sets before our eyes, or which necessary demonstrations prove to us, ought to be called in question (much less condemned) upon the testimony of biblical passages which may have some different meaning beneath their words. For the Bible is not chained in every expression to conditions as strict as those which govern all physical effects; nor is God any less excellently revealed in Nature's actions than in the sacred statements of the Bible. Perhaps this is what Tertullian meant by these words: 'We conclude that God is known first through Nature, and then again, more particularly, by doctrine, by Nature in His works, and by doctrine in His revealed word."
STOP! In this paragraph, describes the conflict between the Biblical text and the laws of nature. How does Galileo try to resolve this conflict? If you are not sure, re-read the paragraph.
(Further down in the letter...)
"But I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forego their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them. He would not require us to deny sense and reason in physical matters which are set before our eyes and minds by direct experience or necessary demonstrations."
STOP! In this paragraph, Galileo describes the gifts that God gave man. What are the gifts and how should we use them?
IV. Personal Reflection
A. Based on your reading of the Document in the Case of Galileo: Indictment 1633 and the Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany in 1615, would you have supported the Roman Catholic Church in their indictment of Galileo or would you have supported Galileo's teachings and ideas? Give evidence to support your response.
V. Peer Reflection - Read one classmate's reflection and respond to what they have written.
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