Description
The publication in 1632 of Galileo’s Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, Ptolemaic and Copernican marked a crucial moment in the ‘scientific revolution’ and helped Galileo become the ‘father of modern science’. The Dialogue contains Galileo’s mature synthesis of astronomy, physics, and methodology, and a critical confirmation of Copernicus’s hypothesis of the earth’s motion. However, the book also led Galileo to stand trial with the Inquisition, in what became known as ‘the greatest scandal in Christendom’.
In The Routledge Guidebook to Galileo's Dialogue, Maurice A. Finocchiaro introduces and analyzes:
- the intellectual background and historical context of the Copernican controversy and Inquisition trial;
- the key arguments and critiques that Galileo presents on both sides of the ‘dialogue’;
- the Dialogue’s content and significance from three special points of view: science, methodology, and rhetoric;
- the enduring legacy of the Dialogue and the ongoing application of its approach to other areas.
This is an essential introduction for all students of science, philosophy, history, and religion wanting a useful guide to Galileo’s great classic.
Table of Contents
Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations PART I: PRELIMINARIES TO READING THE DIALOGUE 1. General Relevance 2. Intellectual Background 3. Historical Context PART II: MAIN ARGUMENT IN THE DIALOGUE 4. Day I Similarity of Earth and Heaven 5. Day II Earth’s Daily Axial Rotation 6. Day III Earth’s Annual Heliocentric Revolution 7. Day IV Geokinetic Explanation of Tides PART III: SPECIAL ASPECTS OF THE DIALOGUE 8. Science: Robust Confirmation of Earth’s Motion 9. Methodology: Critical Reasoning and Balanced Judgment 10. Rhetoric: Persuasion and Eloquence PART IV: CONCLUSION 11. Historical Aftermath and Enduring Legacy Appendix: Table of Cross-References among Editions Selected Bibliography
