Galileo and the Inevitability of Ideas
Introduction
Galileo has long stood as an emblem of
intellectual freedom and the triumph of truth over superstition.
Yet his achievements can also help students recognize the contingency
of even the most inevitable-seeming historical developments
and how the consequences of historic turning-points extend into
our lives today.
Learning Objectives
To understand the historical significance
of Galileo's scientific achievements; to explore the element
of "inevitability" in our perception of historical developments;
to examine the values underlying historic choices.
1
Begin by reviewing what students may already know about Galileo,
using the "Timeline
of Galileo's Life and Era" accessible from The
Galileo Project homepage. Create a timeline of Galileo's
life (1564-1642) on your chalkboard and have students mark
off events during those years to place his career in historical
context. Remind students that Galileo's scientific work focused
on motion, particularly the motion of falling bodies and projectiles.
(Click "On
Motion" at 1589 in the timeline for background.) Students
may be familiar with the experiment in which Galileo supposedly
dropped objects of different weights from the Leaning Tower
of Pisa. Explain that Galileo approached science with a belief
in the fundamental truth of mathematics that led him to search
for mathematical relationships in the phenomena of nature.
Yet in testing his ideas through experiment, he played an
influential part in establishing the empirical method as a
principal tool of scientific inquiry.
2
Next, focus on Galileo's role in the
scientific revolution that gradually replaced the earth-centered
Ptolemaic System with the sun-centered Copernican System.
Have student research teams use the articles The Ptolemaic System and The Copernican System on these competing views of the
universe. What kinds of evidence supported the Ptolemaic System?
Why did it seem to make sense from a philosophical and theological
point of view? What were the main arguments for the Copernican
system? What problems did it solve? What evidence supported
it? Why didn't the religious authorities condemn it from the
start?
3
Conclude this lesson by looking at Galileo's famous trial
before the Inquisition in 1633, where he was found guilty
of heresy for advocating the Copernican system in his book,
Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems. Students can
research this event at The
Galileo Project (click on "The
Inquisition") and in library resources.
Have students explain why the Inquisition believed that the
Copernican system contradicted Scripture. Why couldn't the
Inquisition agree with Galileo that Scripture tells us "how
to go to heaven, not how the heavens go"? What was at stake
for the Catholic Church in this confrontation, in terms of
theology, philosophy, and political power? What was at stake
for Galileo in terms of intellectual freedom and scientific
inquiry? From our point of view, it might appear "inevitable"
that Galileo's ideas would eventually prevail and even preposterous
that anyone could be condemned for scientific work. Ask students
to consider how some scientific developments raise similar
issues today - the possibility of cloning human beings, for
example, or the potential uses of human genetic engineering
Standards Alignment
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