Preview

Galileo's Sentencing to Prison

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1121 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Galileo's Sentencing to Prison
Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy. At a young age his family moved to Florence where he grew up. At about the age of 33, Galileo begins to believe in the Copernican or heliocentric model of the universe as opposed to the Ptolemaic or geocentric model. Galileo then used magnifying glasses to create telescopes to see the stars better. He realizes that the Copernican model offers better explanations for what he discovered in the sky and for what happens here on earth than the Ptolemaic. He then publishes the work Letters on Sunspots. After this is done the clergy of the Catholic Church begins to attack the Copernican view. An argument ensues between the Catholic Church and Galileo which eventually leads to him being arrested and sentenced to house arrest for heresy. This sentencing of Galileo was a vast overreaction. I definitely disagree with this sentence.
Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for his entire life. His crime did not deserve this harsh punishment. Galileo was only guilty of disagreeing with the Catholic Church. He didn't do anything to hurt nor corrupt anyone. The Catholic Church was trying to retain the power they had over the people by not allowing anyone to disprove their theory. They didn't want to look wrong so they charged Galileo of heresy and locked him up. To me, this is a poor excuse to lock someone up. There were people in that world that deserved to be locked up more than Galileo just for reporting things he had discovered. If this happened today, the prisons would be way to full of people. Everyone speaks out against the government nowadays and the government has to deal with it. Galileo was merely trying to inform people rather than start trouble. He also gave evidence to his theory which still didn't help his case. It seems as though the Catholic Church held a grudge against Galileo and gave him a harsh punishment.
It is hard to say that we agree or disagree with this punishment simply because of
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Honors Integrated World Studies Midterm Review
    • 2741 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Honors Integrated World Studies Midterm Review

    Galileo was an Italian who proved Copernicus’ heliocentricity theory with highly accurate math. However, the Catholic Church didn’t like this and forced him to go in front of an audience and say that he lied. If he didn’t he would be excommunicated or killed.…

    • 2741 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Chapter 17 Vocab: 16th And 17th Century
    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Chapter 17 Vocab: 16th And 17th Century

    * Galileo – Published Copernicus’s findings (17th century); added own discoveries concerning laws of gravity and planetary motion; condemned by the Catholic church for his work.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Galileo Galilei Primary Sources
    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Galileo Galilei Primary Sources

    The Copernican Theory is a theory that was developed by Nicolaus Copernicus that stated that the Sun was positioned near the center of the Universe and that the planets rotated around it. Supporting the Copernican Theory, Galileo wrote a letter to a student that went to the university that he once had taught at, stating that the Copernican theory did not go against the passages in the bible. The letter to the student was made public, and the Catholic church saw it. In 1616, the church demanded that Galileo would not be allowed to “hold, teach or defend the Copernican theory in any matter”. Galileo ended up obeying the church and did not touch or teach about the theory for seven…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ruby Bridges Thesis
    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ruby Bridges Thesis

    Galileo was a very smart man. He created and discovered many amazing things, not all of which were accepted by the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. He created a telescope that magnified up to 20 times and began studying space in 1609, (“Galileo”). The telescope allowed him to see many things not visible to the human eye, such as the texture of the moon and Jupiter's four moons. Through the study of his findings Galileo discovered that Venus and Mercury revolve around the sun, and that confirmed his belief that the Sun was the center of the Universe.…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Crime And Punishment During The Elizabethan Era
    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Crime And Punishment During The Elizabethan Era

    During the Elizabethan period there were many horrible means of punishment and torture . Just like in romeo and juliet where if you got caught fighting again you would be put to death.During the Elizabethan Time punishments were harsh. Even for the littlest crime. Punishments back then were treated differently as we would treat them today.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem
    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem

    Galileo, Italian physicist, mathematician and astronomer, showed his humanity by rejecting Church teaching on the centrality of the Earth in the universe. Instead he championed Heliocentrism, the notion that placed the sun, and not the earth, at the center of the orbital paths of many observable bodies in outer space, a truth since validated by astronomers and mathematicians of his and later times. Galileo, by his disobedience, suffered ignominy for his beliefs; found guilty of heresy by the Roman Inquisition, he was sentenced to serve a prison term and placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. But if not for Galileo and others like him, Neil Armstrong would not have been able to land on the moon, nor mechanical human proxies named Sojourner, Opportunity and Curiosity to survey the surface of Mars.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Traditional Religion Dbq Essay
    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Traditional Religion Dbq Essay

    He applied mathematics to his experiments and also used a telescope to make astronomical observations. He discovered mountains on the moon, spots on the sun, and also the four moons of Jupiter; observations that contradicted traditional beliefs that the heavens were perfect. {EXT.} In a letter to Galileo, an Italian monk named Giovanni Campioli tells Galileo, “remove the possibility of malignant rumors by repeatedly showing your willingness to defer to the authority of those who have jurisdiction over the human intellect in matters of the interpretation of Scriptures.” (Doc. 6) This document may be biased because Campioli was a monk, a religious figure, and only considered the universe a religious subject and that, therefore, he thought would make him a more reliable source than Galileo. He wrote this letter perhaps to try and withhold his authority over religious persons and suppress Galileo by insinuating it was in everyone’s best interest. [POV] Galileo was eventually brought before the Italian Inquisition for his theories. The traditional religious beliefs obviously affected his work in a similar way as Copernicus as he had to be careful who he talked to for fear of being found out by the church. Both scientists were limited in what they could do because of the fact that they were contradicting what the church…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Science and the Bible Are Contradictory
    • 14026 Words
    • 57 Pages

    Science and the Bible Are Contradictory

    Galileo Galilei built telescopes and began looking through them at the heavens. He was familiar with the work of Copernicus, and his own studies confirmed the heliocentric (sun-centered) view of the solar system. However, in 1616 he was forbidden from teaching the truth of the Copernican view, though he was allowed to teach it as a hypothesis. In 1632 Galileo published a book called Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems (i.e., those of Ptolemy and Copernicus). Although the title of the book made it sound as though the two views would be treated as having equal validity, it is clear that Galileo favored the Copernican view. Galileo was forced by the church to recant his beliefs, and his Dialogue was added to the Index. Galileo himself remained under house…

    • 14026 Words
    • 57 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Galileo Paper
    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Galileo Paper

    Galileo would come to invent a thermoscope, which was the predecessor to the thermometer. He also published The Little Balance, which is what brought him to the attention of the scholarly world. Galileo furthered mankind's understanding of astronomy, applied science, as well as making significant improvements to the telescope. He pointed his telescope toward the night sky and discovered 4 moons around Jupiter that are now called the Galilean Moons. He would also use his understanding of ocean tides to make an argument for the fact that the earth moves around the sun, not the opposite, which was what was commonly accepted. The Catholic Church ordered that publishing's of Galileo could not contain references to ocean tides. Galileo was a large supporter of heliocentrism, which caused large amounts of controversy in the Catholic Church because the belief at the time was that the earth was the center of the universe. Galileo went to Rome to defend the scientific position on the issue, but "In 1616, an Inquisitional commission unanimously declared heliocentrism to be "foolish and absurd in philosophy, and formally heretical since it explicitly contradicts in many places the sense of Holy Scripture."(Wiki). As a result of Galileo's trial in 1633, he was ordered to spend…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The More Glorious The Triumph By Thomas Paine
    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page

    The More Glorious The Triumph By Thomas Paine

    Galileo lived in an oppressing society, at a time were people were forced to obey the church without thinking. This didn't only apply in religion issues, but in all subjects of life. Anyone who opposes the church was considered hypocrite and was executed. However these circumstances have not stop him…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    European History Essay
    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages

    European History Essay

    "The Crime of Galileo: Indictment and Abjuration of 1633." . Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1630galileo.asp>.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Isaac Newton Giants
    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Isaac Newton Giants

    Galileo Galilei caught wind of the enhanced invention, and couldn’t resist getting his hands on one. Kepler obliged and Galileo, having improved the telescope even further, began a long process of viewing and plotting which, when published in his Starry Messenger, eventually earned him the title, “father of modern observational astronomy.” Galileo was a firm believer of the heliocentric theory, and even went so far as visiting Rome so he could appeal to Catholic Church authorities lest they ban the theories of Copernicus. He conceded that yes, the Scripture may have several verses suggesting the geocentrism of the universe. Galileo believed, however, that scripture might not be intended for such literal interpretation. Though the church denied his request and still commanded him to never hold the Bible-contradicting belief that the earth revolves around the sun. However, they did not deny him the ability to simply discuss the heliocentric theory. And, with the formal approval of the church and the Pope, that’s exactly what he did in his Dialogue on Two Chief Systems. When the work was published however the church was greatly displeased. Though disguised as a mere discussion, the work did all but completely assert that geocentrists are the unintelligent peers of heliocentrists. Galileo was summoned before the Inquisition when the Pope felt personally insulted by the work. While Galileo followed the…

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Punishment In The Elizabethan Era
    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Role Of Punishment In The Elizabethan Era

    Was the crime and punishment during the Elizabethan era really as harsh as it is said to be? If it was, how gruesome and inhumane were the punishments? What were even considered crimes during this Era? Were punishments and crimes different among all the different classes? During the Elizabethan Era, punishments were harsh, gruesome, and varied tremendously among the two main classes, however the crimes committed were also very different among the two classes varying from stealing a bird’s egg to murder.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Galileo Trials: Copernicus's Heliocentric Theory
    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Galileo Trials: Copernicus's Heliocentric Theory

    Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was a believer of Copernicus's heliocentric theory. His discovery of the telescope (1609) allowed him to confirm the theory and his own beliefs. Galileo was first criticized by Friar Lorini. The Friar said that Copernicus's theory violated the scripture. Galileo responded with the Letter to Castelli, hoping it will give back some hope and trust in science. However, it did the opposite, and Lorini, sent a copy of the letter to the Inquisition (1615). On February 1616, Galileo was warned by Cardinal Bellarmine to keep quiet of his ideas or else stronger measures would be taken.…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Discrepancies Between Galileo And The Bible
    • 1660 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Discrepancies Between Galileo And The Bible

    Galileo lived in a time of division and repression between religious and scientific theory, where most writings were incendiary and disincentivized unity. His letter to the Grand Duchess Christina worked against what most of his contemporaries were peddling. Galileo’s assertions of separation in the meanings of scientific and religious thought powerfully achieve his goal of reconciling the conflict between science and religion. He does this by using credible sources to discredit those who speak against him, comparing the science of astronomy to many other sciences, and creating a defined space in which the Bible will retain its supreme authority. Nonetheless, Galileo tends to portray the interpretations of science as much more significant than…

    • 1660 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics