Galileo Galilei Analysis

Galileo Galilei: Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany, 1615 Analysis In paragraph D, Galileo explains how he has discovered the truth that the Sun is motionless in the center of the universe and that Earth revolves around it. He then states that he supports his theory and disagrees with the beliefs of Ptolemy and Aristotle, but can prove with many counter arguments why his beliefs about his discovery are correct. He finishes the paragraph by noting that people like Ptolemy and Aristotle will flat out disagree with his new found theory of the solar system because it is not the popular belief or the “common” knowledge and they will hold on to their beliefs that are based on fabricated and falsely interpreted facts from the bible. He also says that they will never give him a chance to explain his beliefs and they will disapprove of his findings without ever even listening to what they are. In paragraph F he gives an example of Nicholas Copernicus, who just like him, was disappointed by people who rejected his theories without even hearing them out. He uses Copernicus as an example to show that even Copernicus, who was not only a Catholic; but a Preist, even thought and saw that the world was closed minded and being brain washed to take the bible and interpret it to the most literal extent that no new,
logical theory would even stand a

chance in society. He does this to show that even the most religious person in Copernicus opened his eyes and saw the corruption and not just him. In paragraph G, Galileo then accuses the church of using misinterpreted bible scriptures to their advantage.
He states “They go about invoking the Bible, which they would have minister to their deceitful purposes.” Meaning, that they are using the bible to help support their wrongful motives. Then he finishes the paragraph by saying, the verses they use in their defense are being taken in the literal sense and if they really knew what the meaning was behind the words, they would have a different understanding what the verse actually meant and that this misunderstanding of scripture is causing an abandonment of reason in favor of biblical
passages. In paragraphs H and I, Galileo is trying to make the point that he is not saying that the words of the Bible are a lie, but that he is condemning the people that are reading the words without understanding it properly and applying the false beliefs of their readings to their lives. Then he says that in the Bible it seems as if it says that the Earth stands still and the Sun is moving. But if you dig a little deeper, the Bible really isn’t saying that at all and that it is just the way the Bible had worded the verse that people are not interpreting it correctly. But notion is that if it is in the Bible, therefore it must be true. But Galileo is trying to let them realize that yes he doesn’t believe the bible is wrong, however, the way the Church and people are interpreting the words are. I believe the point he is trying to get across at the end of this letter is that it is not wrong to believe and apply the words of the bible to our lives. But if you are going to do that, then do the necessary research and thinking to understand thoroughly what it is you are reading and

applying. He also is tries to make the point that nature is ever changing, and that the only way to learn about what is going on around us, we must do our research and when we do find things we have never known, we must open our hearts and our minds up to the new findings. Because there are always going to be things to discover and when they are discovered you must not already reject it because it is not written in the bible, but be opened to the understanding that there are always going to be new things to learn and discover. This letter from Galileo was incredibly interesting. He was a smart man with a brilliant mind. I particularly loved that no matter how many people doubted him, he always stuck by and fought for what he believed was the truth. It is unfortunate that he was served the sentence of imprisonment for life inside of his own home. But if it wasn’t for Galileo the world would have never discovered the real truth about our solar system. It is just a shame that the era he lived in was so closed off and ignorant and he had to suffer the consequences of people that just did not know any better.