Galileo: A Very Short Introduction

by Drake, Stillman

• ISBN13: 9780192854568
• ISBN10: 0192854569
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-06-07
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In a startling reinterpretation of Galileo's trial, Stillman Drake advances the hypothesis that Galileo's prosecution and condemnation by the Inquisition was caused not by his defiance of the Church but by the hostility of contemporary philosophers. Galileo's own beautifully lucid arguments are used in this volume to show how his scientific method was utterly divorced from the Aristotelian approach to physics; it was based on a search not for causes but for laws. Galileo's methods had an overwhelming significance for the development of modern physics, and they led to a final parting of the ways between science and philosophy. Now, in this extraordinary and concise introduction, Drake provides a stimulating view of Galileo's life and works, providing a fresh perspective on Galileo's methodology and his final incrimination.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	xiii
Introduction	xv
The background	1	(15)
Galileo's early years	16	(24)
Conflicts with philosophers	40	(23)
Conflicts with astronomers and theologians	63	(25)
The Dialogue and the Inquisition	88	(13)
The final years	101	(18)
Further reading	119	(4)
Index	123