Galileo Galilei
Astronomer and physicist: he holds that nature is read through experiment and mathematics, and that Scripture speaks of salvation, not of the mechanics of the heavens.
Life
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), an Italian scientist, improved the telescope and observed the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus and the mountains of the Moon, which supported Copernicus's system. He argued that nature is read through experience and mathematical demonstration and that Scripture should not decide questions of nature; condemned by the Inquisition in 1633, he spent his last years under house arrest.
Main works
Reports the first telescopic observations: the Moon, stars, Jupiter's moons.
Compares the Ptolemaic and Copernican systems in dialogue form.
Founds the science of motion and of the strength of materials.
In his own words
« In disputes about natural problems one should not begin with the authority of scriptural passages, but with sensory experience and necessary demonstrations. »
nelle dispute di problemi naturali non si dovrebbe cominciare dalle autorità di luoghi delle Scritture, ma dalle sensate esperienze e dalle dimostrazioni necessarie
« The intention of the Holy Spirit is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes. »
l’intenzione dello Spirito Santo essere d’insegnarci come si vadia al cielo, e non come vadia il cielo
Positions
click a row to see the evidenceA believing Catholic: Scripture and nature both proceed from the divine Word.
Galileo, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (1615)
He joins careful observation and experiment with mathematical reasoning: the book of nature is written in mathematics.
Galileo, The Assayer (1623)
In pure mathematics human understanding can know some truths as perfectly as God does.
Galileo, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632)
Scripture teaches how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go; the two cannot truly contradict.
Galileo, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (1615)