Relationship between science and religion

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Reference no: EM133688364 , Length: 5 Pages

Assignment:

Write a 5-page essay and answer the question in writing your essay:

GALILEO AND THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

Readings:

Bronowski, Jacob (1974). The Starry Messenger. In The Ascent of Man. New York, NY: Little Brown & Co., Chapter.

Galilei, Galileo (1957). The Starry Messenger (1610), Letters on Sunspots (1613), Letter to the Grand Duchess

Christina (1615), and The Assayer (1623). In S. Drake (Ed.). Discovery and Opinions of Galileo. New

York, NY: Anchor. Read the introductions by Stillman Drake to each of Galileo's works, and quote at least one passage from each of Galileo's four works in the course of your essay.

Questions to answer in writing your essay:

What are the most convincing observations Galileo reports in The Starry Messenger that support the Copernican theory that the Earth moves around the Sun? What did Galileo's later discoveries of the phases of Venus and sunspots contribute to discussions of the Copernican theory?

A major component of Galileo's new contributions to science in the 17th century was his appreciation that mathematics was the key to understanding Nature. Why was this view "revolutionary" in Galileo's day, and what evidence did he have to support the idea that mathematics is the "language" of Nature? What does Galileo say in his Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina and The Assayer about the relationship between science and religion? Galileo's critics argued that the Copernican theory contradicted the Bible, and should therefore be rejected. Why did Galileo believe that science was not in conflict with religion, and indeed, could be taken as a positive rather than a negative factor in theology?

Finally, assume the role of one of Galileo's Aristotelian opponents (not one of his theological critics). Put your arguments against Galileo in your own letter addressed to the Grand Duchess Christina. What objections could you have made at the time to his assertion that the Earth moved, and that the cosmos was heliocentric rather than geocentric? What philosophical or metaphysical arguments might you use as part of the Scholastic opposition to the heliocentric theory? You should indent and single-space this part of your essay, provide a transitional sentence to this paragraph, and begin with a salutation: "Dear Grand Duchess Christina." Be sure to write as if you were one of Galileo's academic (and not one of his religious) critics.

Complete your paper with a final paragraph, reflecting upon your "letter" and why it was that, nevertheless, Galileo and the Copernicans eventually prevailed in the course of the Scientific Revolution. Be sure to cite at least one passage from each of Galileo's four works in the course of your essay.

Reference no: EM133688364

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