Galileo's mistake : a new look at the epic confrontation between Galileo and the church
2003, First US Edition. New York : Arcade Publishing. An exceptional copy; fine in an equally fine dw. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Literally as new.; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 298 pages; Description: 298 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. Notes: "First published in Canada by Thomas Allen Publishers and revised for this edition"--T.p. verso.Includes bibliographical references (p. [283]-289) and index. Subjects: Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642. Galilei, Galileo, 1564-1642 --Trials, litigation, etc.Religion and science --Italy --History --17th century.Science --Philosophy. Summary: The disagreement seemed to center on Galileo's belief in the Copernican theory, which holds that the Earth and the other planets revolve around the Sun - something we know to be true today. But was the debate really about the Copernican theory per se? In his provocative reexamination of one of the turning points in the history of science and thought, Wade Rowland contends that the dispute concerned an infinitely more profound question: What is truth and how can we know it? Ingeniously using the Socratic method - a method Galileo himself employed - the author demonstrates that in the epic confrontation between Galileo and the Roman Catholic Church at the dawn of the Scientific Revolution, Galileo's mistake was to insist that science - and only science - provides the truth about reality. The Church rejected this idea, declaring that while science is valid, it provides mere models for reality, models that enable people to better understand and manipulate the world around us. Truth is a metaphysical issue - beyond physics - and it involves such matters as meaning and purpose, which are unquantifiable and therefore not amenable to scientific analysis. In asserting the primacy of science on the territory of truth, Galileo strayed from purely scientific inquiry into the theological realm, an act that put him squarely on a warpath with the Church. The outcome would change the world. Item #171150
ISBN: 1559706848
Price: €14.95