Galileo on religion and science Essay - 1657 Words

Explain Galileo’s attempt to make science and religion compatible, with particular reference to methods of justification. How successful is he? Use Kuhn’s notion of incommensurability to investigate Galileo’s attempt to reconcile the propositions of science and religion. There will always be a battle between religion and science, it is a truth universally acknowledged. Galileo attempted to make the two compatible by suggesting that the truth can only be sought out if the notion under consideration can be accurately tested and if the opposing view can be founded as false. Galileo’s goes into depth about the truth of scripture and the sciences, intertwined with the reason of man, in his letter to Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of†¦show more content†¦Galileo is thankful to God because he does not allow the majority of these â€Å"common folk† as stated above to have all the authority, some learned people too have authority. Galileo is not speaking blasphemy, he is suggesting there is a place for both Holy doctrine as well as scientific doctrine and he attempts to prove this. Galileo is concerned with obtaining the truth about the world we live in, whether religion provides an answer or science. This is evident in the lette r when he is discussing the â€Å"celestial bodies† concerning the work of Copernicus. Galileo believes that it would be wholly unjustified to ban Copernicus’ work after it has been confirmed over the years, he puts it: â€Å"in my judgement to be a contravention of the truth† if this were to occur. Basically Galileo believes if something is true, the basis of the truth either, religious or scientific is equally creditable. He further states that if scientific fact is unattainable, it must be a thing of faith and religion; â€Å"where human reasoning cannot reach† and there â€Å"is no science but only opinion of faith† the truth must be in the Scripture. This is demonstrated in the letter â€Å"whether the stars are animate† or â€Å"whether or not the heavens are spherical†. Galileo believes that ultimately that the science behind a phenomena willShow MoreRelatedThe Clash of Faith and Evidence1545 Words   |  6 PagesClash of Fait h and Evidence History has shown that in the past, religion dominated as an explanation of knowledge and was used to explain many of the worlds mysteries such as why the sun rises and sets and how the world came to be. Science, using concrete and tested evidence, gave light to many of these mysteries and debunked the myths created from religion. In todays modern society, science has advanced in a remarkable fashion. Science has broken down objects into structured molecules, found theRead MoreGalileos View of the New World Essay1339 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will thoroughly analyse this document. It will analyse the context behind what was happening in 17th century with regards to science and religion. 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