The Essential Galileo by Galilei Galileo Finocchiaro Maurice A

Author:Galilei, Galileo, Finocchiaro, Maurice A. [Galilei, Galileo, Finocchiaro, Maurice A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Published: 2010-01-23T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 81

From Dialogue on the

Two Chief World Systems (1632)2

[§ 8.1 Preface:To the Discerning Reader]3

[29] Some years ago there was published in Rome a salutary edict4 which, to prevent the dangerous scandals of the present age, imposed opportune silence upon the Pythagorean opinion of the earth’s motion. There were some who rashly asserted that that decree was the offspring of extremely ill-informed passion and not of judicious examination; one also heard complaints that consultants who are totally ignorant of astronomical observations should not cut the wings of speculative intellects by means of an immediate prohibition. Upon noticing the audacity of such complaints, my zeal could not remain silent. Being fully informed about that most prudent decision, I thought it appropriate to appear publicly on the world scene as a sincere witness of the truth. For at that time I had been present in Rome; I had had not only audiences but also endorsements by the most eminent prelates of that court; nor did the publication of that decree follow without some prior knowledge on my part. Thus it is my intention in the present work to show to foreign nations that we in Italy, and especially in Rome, know as much about this subject as transalpine diligence can have ever imagined. Furthermore, by collecting together all my own speculations on the Copernican system, I intend to make it known that an awareness of them all preceded the 190 Roman censorship, and that from these parts emerge not only dogmas for the salvation of the soul, but also ingenious discoveries for the delight of the mind.

To this end I have in the discussion taken the Copernican point of view, proceeding in the manner of a pure mathematical hypothesis and striving in every contrived way [30] to present it as superior to the viewpoint of the earth being motionless, though not absolutely but relative to how this is defended by some who claim to be Peripatetics; however, they are Peripatetics only in name since they do not walk around but are satisfied with worshipping shadows, and they do not philosophize with their own judgment but only with the memory of a few ill-understood principles.

Three principal points will be treated. First, I shall attempt to show that all experiments feasible on the earth are insufficient to prove its mobility but can be adapted indifferently to a moving as well as to a motionless earth; and I hope that many observations unknown to antiquity will be disclosed here. Second, I shall examine celestial phenomena, strengthening the Copernican hypothesis as if it should emerge absolutely victorious and adding new speculations; these, however, are advanced for the sake of astronomical convenience and not for the purpose of imposing necessity on nature. Third, I shall propose an ingenious fancy. Many years ago I had occasion to say that the unsolved problem of the tides could receive some light if the earth’s motion were granted. Flying from mouth to mouth, this assertion of mine has found charitable people who adopt it as a child of their own intellect.

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