Two Views of the Universe: Galileo Galilei - Assignment Example

 Two Views of the Universe: Galileo Galilei Born in Pisa Italy in 1564, Galileo Galilei was a man of science in an age when the discipline was less than appreciated, particularly by the Catholic Church. Seeking and spreading knowledge at that time could be considered a death sentence. The heart of Catholicism was at the Vatican in Rome, Italy and was an all powerful entity. Galileo was as brave as he was intelligent to have proved the Biblical account of the Universe incorrect in a published book. The "Father of Modern Science" as he is commonly called, Galileo made important contributions in astronomy, physics, math and philosophy. Besides showing that the Sun did not revolve around the Earth, as the Bible suggests, and his many inventions, Galileo's most famous contribution to science was in greatly improving the telescope. Galileo courageously led the way in the battle of science over superstition at a time when superstition was accepted as science. Educated as a mathematician, Galileo had wished to pursue a life within the Church but his parents insisted he attend the University to study medicine. While at the Universities of Padua and Pisa, mathematics became his passion and would go on to teach the subject before leaving to study privately. Until the time of Galileo, Nicholas Copernicus (1473 – 1543) and Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630) among others physics theories discovered by Aristotle (384–322 BC) were still considered fundamentally correct. While still a professor, Galileo challenged these theories, one of which led to the dual ball dropping from a leaning tower located in his hometown. According to Aristotle, heavier objects fall at a greater rate than lighter objects. Galileo disproved this theory. "The reason for one object falling faster than the other had to do with the friction each encounters while moving through the air- two objects of different weight actually fall at the same rate in a vacuum." ("Galileo Drops," 2014) Perhaps even more famous than the leaning tower story is Galileo's argument against Aristotle's theory that the Sun revolved around the Earth, that it was a geocentric universe. The prevailing theory fit well into the Church's teachings but it had no intention of allowing a new theory, one that made sense and was presented by a credible, respected and well-known scholar, to become public knowledge. Galileo confirmed Copernicus' heliocentric theory that the Earth and other planets do what they actually do, revolve around the Sun. To accomplish this, he modified a telescope, increasing it's magnification to 20 times when the state-of-the-art telescope at the time magnified just three times normal vision. This invention alone was a momentous occurrence in the history of astronomical exploration. "With his telescope, Galileo was able to look at the moon and make more profound astronomical discoveries and studies. He discovered four of the moons of Jupiter with his telescope and also confirmed the phases of Venus." ("Galileo Drops," 2014) Galileo wrote Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, a book explaining the movements of the planets around the Sun thereby endorsing the Copernican system. This incensed the Vatican hierarchy because it contradicted Biblical accounts of how the universe works. His newly published work was branded as heresy against God, a very serious, potentially life-threatening charge. Galileo had previously been warned by the Church regarding his teachings but in 1633 he was brought to the Vatican in Rome, about 200 miles south of Pisa, to face trial. In what must appeared much like a high-budget, high-tech scene from an epic movie, the full majesty, glory and perceived Divine power of the Roman Catholic Church bore down on the respected scientist. He was threatened with prison, torture and being publicly burned at the stake unless he recanted his findings. At age 69, a remarkable lifespan for his time, Galileo, frail and withered, was forced to renounce his scientific discoveries "with sincere heart and unfeigned faith" that the Earth was the center of the Universe and all other planets and Sun revolved around it. (Hellman, 1998). Probably due to his age, popularity, social status and, by coincidence, Pope Urban VIII admired Galileo; he was not imprisoned or tortured. He was kept under house arrest for life. His book was banned by the Church, added to a long list of publications deemed anti-Christian. The Roman Inquisition was in full force during this time. Galileo was likely spared the full wrath of the Church because of his celebrity status. He understood the consequences for his actions yet pursued the truth. The trial in 1633 was not the first time he and the Church crossed paths. He had been warned previously, in 1616, to abandon his heretical theory of the Earth moving throughout the sky. He was told then he could consider this idea as a hypothetical only but never as factual. He was further informed that he should not allow himself to even think in those terms. At this time he was a well known and widely respected scientist as well as a philosopher and official astronomer in the Court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Before he decided to publish Dialogue, Galileo had the book scrutinized by the Church and had been granted official permission to proceed. This was based on his earlier assurances his astrophysics theories was simply conjecture. "He had clearly fooled all of the officials into thinking that his ideas were being presented only as hypotheses. He had almost gotten away with publishing a heretical work without provoking papal fury." (Hellman, 1998) Galileo was not an enemy of the Church. If not for his parents insisting he attend the University, it's likely he would have been a priest. He was loyal to the Church, raising his children to follow the same belief system. His only two daughters became nuns. His intent was never to harm but help the Church. He knew that if the Church defended a false reality it would lose credibility on a massive scale. If Galileo could be charged with anything it would be plagiarism. It was Copernicus in 1543 who first proposed the heliocentric system. Galileo simply acted as an eye-witness via his telescope improvement. Copernicus delayed publishing his discovery for several years, did not translate it from Latin and rarely spoke of it because he feared severe retribution by the Church. For this reason his works are much less recognized by historians. "As long as the doctrine lay shrouded in Latin, just another long-winded academic treatise that few read or cared about, the church could safely ignore it." (Hellman, 1998). The Church could not and did not ignore Galileo's support of Copernicus' radical ideas. Galileo accomplished much more during his life than teaching, inventing a historically significant improvement to the telescope and rattle the belief system of the Roman Catholic Church at a time of its most powerful. In 1597, he premiered his geometric compass. "The compass had two legs, each having seven proportional lines, joined by a quadrant marked with four separate scales." (Bank, 2014). It was a precursor to the modern calculator. Users could carry out geometric and arithmetic calculations in addition to finding square roots and cube roots. Incredibly, it could also It also calculate interest, determine volumes for areas of varying shapes and draw polygons. Galileo personally taught the heads of several European countries to use the compass earning him a considerable profit. At age 77 and blind, Galileo discovered the concept of the pendulum clock, an idea further by well-respected scientist Christiaan Huygens in 1657 when he built the first working clock based on Galileo's well-detailed idea. Galileo had become fascinated by pendulums' periodic motion. He discovered the concept of isochronisms, "that the amplitude of the pendulum's swing had no effect on the period of time it takes to complete one cycle." Galileo then adapted this observation to create a mechanism to keep accurate time. His son Vincenzio helped his blind fathes by drawing his conception on paper. This is the first time a pendulum was designed as a mechanism by which to keep time. Many of Galileo's inventions are nothing short of genius. One useful idea for that time was boat oar placement. "It was design for a ship's galley in which the oar acted as a lever against the water, which behaved as a fulcrum." He also invented a one-horsepower motor used as a water pump and a device that would accurately weigh things in water or air using a concept called "hydrostatic balance." He also, among many other contributions to science and technology, offered design upgrades on thermometers and microscopes. (Bank, 2014). Galileo is somewhat unique in that he challenged the Roman Catholic Church in Europe during the 1600's and was not tortured or killed for his findings which contradicted Church dogma. He was as brave as he was intelligent and thoughtful. Today, one can be scorned or shamed for questioning religious beliefs but one would likely be burned alive in the days of Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler and Huygens for asking questions much less providing provable answers as they did. Galileo is remembered mainly for the heliocentric theory and subsequent challenge by the Church and for dropping two balls from a leaning tower. He should also be remembered for great courage. Works Cited Bank, Eric. "List of Galileo's Inventions." eHow. 2014. Web. December 3, 2014. http://www.ehow.com/facts_5491727_list-galileos-inventions.html "Galileo Drops the Ball. Brief Biography of Galileo Galilei." Schlumberger Excellence in Education Development. 2014. Web. December 3, 2014. http://www.planetseed.com/relatedarticle/brief-biography-galileo-galilei Hellman, Hal. "Two Views of the Universe. Galileo vs. the Pope." The Washington Post. 1998. Web. December 3, 2014. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/horizon/sept98/galileo.htm Read More