Dialogue with Kira Binkley on Quora about Galileo Case

Dialogue with Kira Binkley on Quora about Galileo Case · With James Hough on Same Question (quora) · With Earl Wajenberg, on same question · With Achyuthan Sanal on Same Question

Q

Why was Copernicus not persecuted by the church, but Galileo was?
https://www.quora.com/Why-was-Copernicus-not-persecuted-by-the-church-but-Galileo-was/answer/Kira-Binkley-1

Kira Binkley*

Fri

Lives in Colorado Springs, CO (2008–present)

[Originally Answered: "Why was Coper Nicolas not punished like Galileo?"**]

Galileo claimed to have proven that the earth revolved around the sun (and he had). The pope, Urban VIII, told him that if he had left it as an hypothesis only, he would not have gotten into trouble with the Church/Jesuits. Keep this in mind: there was some hesitation on the part of men in the 16th and 17th century to let go of the comforting fact of the Deity guiding the “heavenly bodies” and “heavenly spheres”. (If you read Newton’s Principia, you will find that Newton’s “Laws” were the “Laws” of nature, replacing God’s hand, but still perfectly coordinated—-never fear!!)

At any rate, the Church wanted to make an example of Galileo, so as to forestall other attempts at natural explanation of phenomena. Another point to keep in mind, is that Galileo, and others, were saying that the “heavenly bodies” were bodies in the same way that the earth and everything on or in it were bodies—-that is, there was nothing divine about the sun, planets and fixed stars. A complete sea change from any previous belief system. Wondrous in its scope. As you can tell, Galileo is one of my heroes.

Galileo is believed to have said “Nevertheless, it moves”—-”Si, il muove”, when he was forced to recant. Another interesting fact: Pascal, a Jansenist, fired off a complaint to the Jesuits!

Hans-Georg Lundahl

18h ago

“Galileo claimed to have proven that the earth revolved around the sun (and he had).”

He hadn’t.

He had disproven one alternative, the Ptolemaic one, but could neither argue against, nor wanted to believe, the Tychonian one. It was presented to him by St. Robert Bellarmine.

“At any rate, the Church wanted to make an example of Galileo, so as to forestall other attempts at natural explanation of phenomena.”

When exactly did Galileo claim this?

“Keep this in mind: there was some hesitation on the part of men in the 16th and 17th century to let go of the comforting fact of the Deity guiding the “heavenly bodies” and “heavenly spheres”. “

Who says they were wrong? And who says Galileo differred from them?

Kira Binkley

Original Author ·

15h ago

• 1. Yes, he had. And even if you don’t believe it, apparently the pope did.
  
  
• 2. “I” claim it.
  
  
• 3. “Who says they were wrong?” Do you mean wrong to believe the Deity was guiding the heavenly bodies? Is that your question?
  
  
• 4. Who am “I”, Hans? Is that your question?

Hans-Georg Lundahl

14h ago

• 1. “apparently the pope did.”
  
  No, the pope did not believe Galileo had proven Heliocentrism. He believed he had made Simplicio a comic version of himself, so that he had to keep out of the process to keep it equanimous.
  
  
• 2. Galileo however never claimed that his explanation excluded supernatural factors. So, no one was forestalling “other” attempts of natural explanation, since his wasn’t one.
  
  
• 3. Yes, my question is, who says they were wrong to believe “the Deity” is guiding the celestial bodies? That is my question.
  
  
• 4. I am also questioning who - before you - claimed that Galileo claimed “the Deity” was not guiding the celestial bodies.

You seem to be confusing Galileo with Laplace. While Laplace did make use of Heliocentrism, but also of a Newtonian view of the universe overall, in which stars would not attract each other into a big crunch bc there were stars in all direction infinitely, and in which Newtonian mechanics took care of the movements within the Solar System, Galileo offered none of that philosophy. Except the geometric “fact” of Heliocentrism.

Kira Binkley

Original Author

14h ago

The only thing I am confusing is your comment with intelligence. End of engagement.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

Just now

[linked to this post to show the dialogue, finished on her request, was not wasted for the general public.]

Updated

next day:

Kira Binkley

Original Author

15h ago

Thanks. I can use all the publicity I can get. Try answering my question about arms to Sub-Saharan African nations, and making that public. I would greatly appreciate it.

Hans-Georg Lundahl

Just now

You are welcome.

Where is the question?

Btw, I think that is way more your expertise than history of ideas is.

* About the Author

Kira Binkley

Former Advisor to Global Governments

Studies Moral Philosophy & Natural Philosophy Expected 2024

Lives in Colorado Springs, CO 2008–present

38K content views 5.7K this month

** Question posed by someone with language difficulties and therefore edited for correct language.