Mariano Artigas

William R. Shea

Galileo's trial by the Inquisition is one of the most dramatic incidents in the history of science and religion. Today, we tend to see this event in black and white--Galileo all white, the Church all black. Galileo in Rome presents a much more nuanced account of Galileo's relationship with Rome. The book offers a fascinating account of the six trips Galileo made to Rome, from his first visit at age 23, as an unemployed mathematician, to his final fateful journey to face the Inquisition. The authors reveal why the theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun, set forth in Galileo's Dialogue, stirred a hornet's nest of theological issues, and they argue that, despite these issues, the Church might have accepted Copernicus if there had been solid proof. More interesting, they show how Galileo dug his own grave. To get the imprimatur, he brought political pressure to bear on the Roman Censor. He disobeyed a Church order not to teach the heliocentric theory. And he had a character named Simplicio (which in Italian sounds like simpleton) raise the same objections to heliocentrism that the Pope had raised with Galileo. The authors show that throughout the trial, until the final sentence and abjuration, the Church treated Galileo with great deference, and once he was declared guilty commuted his sentence to house arrest. Here then is a unique look at the life of Galileo as well as a strikingly different view of an event that has come to epitomize the Church's supposed antagonism toward science.

The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius

Galileo in Rome

"During his comparatively brief life (he died at thirty-nine, the age Mozart was to die) Blaise Pascal devoted his unusual talents to mathematics, physics and religion. His religious views are still widely discussed, and the general interest in this aspect of his life may be responsible for the fact that his mathematical and scientific achievements are less known. Those who are familiar with his Pensées, which are fragments of an intended Apology for Christianity, have had little opportunity of acquiring a just appreciation of the originality of his thought in physics and probability theory. This book fills this gap by describing Pascal’s work in a way that is accessible to anyone interested in his contribution to modern science and his attempt to tame Lady Luck. The words “Unconventional Science” in the subtitle of the book are meant as a reminder of the radically different way of looking at nature that was developed by Pascal and his contemporaries. The first seven chapters examine Pascal’s ingenious experiments to show that a vacuum can be produced, an idea that led him to ascend a mountain with a barometer to prove that we lived submerged under a sea of air. Chapter eight considers his bold views on the advancement of science and religion, and chapter nine his new philosophy of experimental science. The concluding chapters offer an insight into his pioneering work in the theory of probability and his willingness to help a friend who was a keen gambler but no mathematician. Pascal even applied his calculation of the odds at games of chance to the problem of personal destiny and the existence of God. Walking in his footsteps, the reader not only discovers the new world of experimental science but learns to play for high stakes."--Publisher's description.

The Unconventional Science of Blaise Pascal

Designing Experiments & Games of Chance

A survey of Descartes' scientific career from his student days at the Jesuit College of La Flèche to his departure for Sweden in 1649.

The Scientific Career of René Descartes

The Magic of Numbers and Motion

A detailed, revisionist study of the life and career of the great Italian scientist offers a focused analysis of Galileo's relationship with the Catholic Church, discussing the theological furor caused by Galileo's Dialogue, the scientist's own role in the conflict, and the events of his trial by the Inquisition. (Biography)

William R. Shea

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