Analysis of Galileo's Letter
Jessica L. White
February 17, 2013
Analysis of Galileo’s Letter
The Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany was written by Galileo Galilei in 1615. Galileo was an Italian scientist that began making new discoveries in the heavens in 1609. He discovered many things that did not coincide with the teaching of the church.
The Letter of the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany was written by Galileo in response to hearing that the Grand Duchess of Christina criticized the heliocentric theory that was created by Copernicus. This theory was created, in attempt, to bring different perspective on pre-existing theories involving the universe. Copernicus wanted people to become interested in finding truths and new discoveries regarding science. Galileo wrote the letter firing back at such criticism. In his Letter to Grand Duchess Christiana, Galileo made an attempt to explain his discoveries and defended that they do not discredit the Church or religion. He insisted that science and religion could coexist. He explained how and why. He expressed his personal opinion on the reasons why certain people did not believe him and his discoveries. Galileo expressed confidence in his knowledge, sarcasm in some regards, and the letter’s overall tone seemed to upset many. The Church believed that Galileo was trying to disprove the Bible and find all of its untruths. Galileo felt that the church did not want to believe his findings to be true because they may cause the people to question the church and its teachings. Galileo did not want to cause uncertainty. He only wanted to bring greater knowledge for understanding the Bible and how it’s interpreted. Galileo felt that the church and the people would not accept his findings because they would not personally benefit from them, they simply choose not to believe, and/or they were not willing to except new discoveries. He questioned the church and the people’s ability to argue his findings because most did
February 17, 2013
Analysis of Galileo’s Letter
The Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany was written by Galileo Galilei in 1615. Galileo was an Italian scientist that began making new discoveries in the heavens in 1609. He discovered many things that did not coincide with the teaching of the church.
The Letter of the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany was written by Galileo in response to hearing that the Grand Duchess of Christina criticized the heliocentric theory that was created by Copernicus. This theory was created, in attempt, to bring different perspective on pre-existing theories involving the universe. Copernicus wanted people to become interested in finding truths and new discoveries regarding science. Galileo wrote the letter firing back at such criticism. In his Letter to Grand Duchess Christiana, Galileo made an attempt to explain his discoveries and defended that they do not discredit the Church or religion. He insisted that science and religion could coexist. He explained how and why. He expressed his personal opinion on the reasons why certain people did not believe him and his discoveries. Galileo expressed confidence in his knowledge, sarcasm in some regards, and the letter’s overall tone seemed to upset many. The Church believed that Galileo was trying to disprove the Bible and find all of its untruths. Galileo felt that the church did not want to believe his findings to be true because they may cause the people to question the church and its teachings. Galileo did not want to cause uncertainty. He only wanted to bring greater knowledge for understanding the Bible and how it’s interpreted. Galileo felt that the church and the people would not accept his findings because they would not personally benefit from them, they simply choose not to believe, and/or they were not willing to except new discoveries. He questioned the church and the people’s ability to argue his findings because most did