Science, Technology And Society #2

It is out of this context that

Experimental science was born.

The issue of the organization of the universe (solar system) came down to the introduction of new technology the collection of data

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Did not INVENT the telescope..

But is the first to record observations of the cosmos made with a telescope.

Galileo’s observations included:

The moon and sun were not perfect spheres

(shadows indicated irregular surface on moon.)

The sun also showed light and dark areas.

Modern picture of sunspots.

Phases of Venus showed that it orbited the sun, not the earth

Found satellites orbiting Jupiter (1610)

Callisto, Europa, Io and Ganymede are still referred to as the “Galilean Moons.”

This conflicted with

the Aristotelian/Copernican position that there was ONE center of revolution, and the Earth was there.

The milky band of the “Milky Way”

Was actually made of individual stars

Galileo presented his findings in a book,

Dialogue Concerning the Two Great World Systems, which was styled as a debate between a scholar and a fool.

The scholar took the position of the sun-centered universe.

Though he attempted to camouflage his position in the debate,

It was clear to most where he stood. He also modeled the fool after the Pope, Urban VIII

This was an open challenge to the Church’s position

Galileo was called before the Inquisition in 1632.

He recanted, Apologized, and read a prepared statement of abjuration.

Due to “plea bargaining,”

Galileo was allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest, as opposed to in prison.

He died in 1642.

When the body was moved in 1737,

He lost three fingers and a tooth. The middle finger from his right hand is in the Galileo Museum in Florence.

His books remained on the Church’s banned list until 1822.

Today, Galileo is referred to as

The father of science

The father of modern science

The father of physics

The father of modern astronomy

So, What Are We To Learn?

Back to slide one, part one.

New technology (e.g. the telescope) often provides new information/the modification of existing theories.

Social/political forces will impact the spread of knowledge.