Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius - Hardcover

Shea, William R.; Artigas, Mariano

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195165985 ISBN 13: 9780195165982

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2003

Synopsis

New research shows the true reason why galileo was condemned. Galileo is one of a small group of thinkers who transformed Western culture. But to be at the forefront of ideas was a dangerous position to take at the turn of the sixteenth century, bringing the philosopher into constant conflict with the might of the curch. Galileo made six long visits to Rome in an attempt to get the church on his side. He was anxious to raise his profile in the Eternal City, where he spent some 500 days, meeting the pope, high-ranking ecclesiastics, and members of the literary establishment as well as other scientists. It offers a rigorous, but easy-to-understand, account of what happened during Galileo's visit to Rome. In the end, he overplayed his hand and the outcome was his dramatic condemnation by the church. Based on extensive archive research, the author paints a far more complex picture of the actions and motivations of both sides than has been published before, and shows how it is that Galileo's failure to impress the church has not prevented him from becoming one of the leading thinkers of the day.

About this title

About the Author

William R. Shea holds the "Galileo Chair" of the History of Science at the University of Padua, in Italy. He is Past President of both the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science and the International Academy of the History of Science, and is currently Chairman of the Standing Committee for the Humanities of the European Science Foundation in Strasbourg. He is the author, co-author, or editor of 25 books, including Galileo's Intellectual Revolution and The Magic of Numbers and Motion: The Scientific Career of Rene Descartes.
Mariano Artigas is Professor of Philosophy of Science and was Dean of the Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Navarra, in Pamplona, Spain. He holds a Ph.D. both in physics and philosophy, is an ordained Catholic priest, and has written 14 books, including The Mind of the Universe, which won a Templeton Award.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195165985
• ISBN 13: 9780195165982
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 238