And Other Legends About the Galileo-Affair

6. Jahrgang EXTE MARTIN MBS T 116 BUCER 2009 SEMINAR Thomas Schirrmacher “But it Does Move!”, and Other Legends About Galileo Galilei 28 Theses regarding the trial of Galileo Galilei (Updated and enlarged version 2012) BUCER IN S T E M R A I N M A R 2 1 : E P 4 H TheologicalTheologische Accents Akzente TableInhaltsverzeichnis of Contents Foreword .............................................................................................. 5 1 Th e ‘encyclopedia’ rediscovered the story of Galileo in the 18th century ............................................ 6 2 Myths of martyrdom and hagiography .............................................................................. 7 3 Legends: The leaning tower of Pisa and “but it does move” ......................................................... 8 4 The Copernican system had long since established itself in the church at the time of Galileo ...................... 9 5 Galileo was held in high esteem by the church and the popes .......................................................... 10 6 The battle against Galileo emanated primarily from scientists and colleagues ........................................ 11 7 Aristotle was seen as infallible, less so the Bible ............................. 12 8 Galileo was stubborn ad polemical ................................................ 12 9 Galileo ignored other scientific researchers .................................... 14 10 Galileo was sometimes contradictory .............................................15 11 Galileo was not a strictly experimental scientist ............................. 16 12 Galileo had no evidence ................................................................ 17 13 The Church only wanted proofs .................................................... 18 14 Galileo withheld the evidence ....................................................... 20 15 Invented proofs .............................................................................. 21 2 “But it does move!” and other Legends about Galileo Galilei 16 Galileo refuted Ptolemy, but he did not prove Copernicus ............................................................. 22 17 Galileo provided no response to Tycho Brahe .................................... 22 18 Galileo also defended what had long since been superseded ......................................................... 23 19 The later popes would not have allowed Galileo to be condemned, and earlier ones did not pursue his condemnation ............................ 23 20 Galileo was a victim of Urban VIII ................................................... 23 21 The Pope: From friend to foe ............................................................. 24 22 Galileo was a victim of Urban VIII’s politics ..................................... 25 23 G alileo died two years too early ........................................................ 27 24 G alileo considered the Bible to be God’s Word ................................. 27 25 Galileo was a convinced Catholic ..................................................... 29 26 Galileo wrote in Italian ..................................................................... 30 27 G alileo did not separate faith and science .......................................... 31 28 Galileo did not advocate the autonomy of science ............................. 31 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 32 Appendix: Brecht‘s Galileo ..................................................................... 32 Annotation ............................................................................................. 33 The Author ............................................................................................. 41 Impressum ............................................................................................. 42 THEOLOGISCHE AKZENTE 3 “But it does move!” and other Legends about Galileo Galilei “But it does move!” and other Legends about Galileo Galilei 28 Theses regarding the trial of Galileo Galilei (Updated and enlarged version 2012) Thomas Schirrmacher Since I wrote a short essay under the Christian church and the so very bril- same title in 1990 – which has been liant and rational scientists. Galileo was repeatedly reprinted1 and hotly debated himself a deeply religious man, while on the internet for a great number of his keenest opponents were university years, I have decided to rework and scholars and not scholars within the expand the article on the basis of lit- church. Furthermore, no one placed erature which has appeared over the the Bible over scientific evidence, since last twenty years. By using the form neither Galileo nor a contemporary of a number of theses, I have done this was able to bring forth evidence for the reworking and expansion without mak- Copernican worldview (these were not ing basic changes to the work’s charac- found until later). And the Bible was ter as a brief introduction. also not the point of reference. Rather, it was the authority of the Greek phi- Foreword losopher Aristotle. “There is hardly a scientist who con- th The 17 century trial of Galileo tinues to be as controversially discussed Galilei endures as a repeatedly held out as Galileo Galilei … why is there argument against scientists who find not even any recognizable indication themselves able to reconcile their belief of a consensus …?“2 Olaf Pedersen in a creator and their scientific research. expressed his opinion in 1991 that after Faith supposedly makes a person blind 350 years of research and discussion a to scientific progress and hinders sci- convergent research opinion on Galileo ence. This is either a spoken or unspo- seems to be as far from being reached as ken opinion associated with the issue. it ever was: The image of the trial against Gali- “The story of Galileo Galilei (1564– leo Galilei, which silently stands in 1642), his scientific efforts, and his the background, does not stand up to struggle for recognition have long since historical research. Too many legends exceeded the limits of historical research are required to support the picture of and have become one of the defining a battle between the so very narrow myths of modern science. This idea of a THEOLOGISCHE AKZENTE 5 Prof. Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher conflict between light and darkness and tion to that, there are other important between reason and irrationality is at publications.11, 12 On the whole, how- the bottom of this myth.”3 ever, I believe I have had the opportu- The intention of the following the- nity to look through every important ses is well summarized in the words of work produced in European languages 13 Arthur Koestler: accessible to me. “In other words, I believe the idea that “Few episodes in history have given rise Galileo’s trial was a kind of Greek tra- to a literature as voluminous as the 14 gedy, a showdown between ‘blind faith’ trial of Galileo.” and ‘enlightened reason’ to be naively In view of the 5.912 titles listed as lit- erroneous.”4 erature on Galileo up to 1964, to which In the following there are several rea- another 1,500 were added over the sub- 15 sons, presented in thesis form, which sequent 20 years (to my knowledge, a have been pieced together and do not count over the last 25 years or so does allow Galileo’s trial to be cited as an not exist), and the twenty volume edi- 16 argument for any position on the rela- tion of his works , it appears foolhardy tionship between religion and science. to expect to make a presentation of Gal- It is probably superfluous to point out ileo in article form which does justice to that the theses neither justify the meth- all the aspects involved. ods or the existence of the inquisition in any way nor place Galileo actual scientific significance and genius in question 1 The ‘encyclopedia’ rediscovered the story of Gal- (whereby Galileo’s actual discoveries th were never the subject of the inquisition ileo in the 18 century trial that was conducted). However: 1. Thesis: Since the Enlightenment, “The contrast-rich picture of a scien- the presentation of Galileo’s life has tist with the courage of a hero stan- become overgrown with legends, ding before the dark background of the myths, and prejudice. Inquisition thereby receives numerous “The most popular Galileo legend, colorful nuances.” 5 which puts the defiant expression ‘but I will essentially proceed on the bases it does move’ into the mouth of the of a selection of new German texts by Florentine scholar after renouncing and about Galilei6, Klaus Fischer’s sci- the teaching on the movement of the entific biography7, Arthur Koestler’s earth in 1633, comes from the time of investigation of the records of the case8, the Enlightenment. In addition to this Arthur C. Custance’s9 response, and glorifying picture, prevailing trends the scholarly exposition entitled “New created the Galileo they found to be Points of View on the Trial of Galilei” necessary: the pioneer of truth and the by the Czech Zdenko Solles.10 . In addi- renegade, the martyr of science and the 6 MBS TEXTE 116 “But it does move!” and other Legends about Galileo Galilei cunning and tactical zealot – in short, David Whitehouse for instance wrote the positive, the negative, the torn the following gushing flattery and falsi- hero.”17 fication of history in 2009, which have Above all it was volume four very little to do with historical truth: of the famous Enlightenment “Courage had left him, not, however, ‘L’Encyclopédie,’ with its article enti- his trust

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