galileo and the church: lessons learned
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Galileo and the Church: Lessons Learned. George V. Coyne, S.J. Vatican Observatory. Historical Precedents to Galileo’s Times. 384 -321 BC: Aristotle’s Natural Philosophy, physics not just mathematics 130 AD: Ptolemy’s Almagest, pure math, fictitious mathematical spheres - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Galileo and the Church: Lessons Learned
George V. Coyne, S.J.Vatican Observatory
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Historical Precedents to Galileo’s Times
• 384 -321 BC: Aristotle’s Natural Philosophy, physics not just mathematics
• 130 AD: Ptolemy’s Almagest, pure math, fictitious mathematical spheres
• 1519: Martin Luther’s break with Rome• 1543: Copernicus’ De Revolutionibus• 1546: 4th Session of the Council of Trent
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Main Issues Lurking• Copernicanism (heliocentrism)
apparently threatened Aristotle’s Natural Philosophy and Holy Scripture
• Meaning of Hypothesis– Pure mathematical expedient, Pythagorean
tradition– Physics, best scientific explanation, modeling
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Galileo’s Telescopic Observations:Sidereus Nuncius (1610)
• First new data in ~ 2000 years• Challenge to Aristotle & Ptolemy: Moon’s
surface, sunspots, Jupiter’s moons, phases of Venus
• What about Scripture? “The Scriptures teach us how to go to heaven and not how the heavens go.”
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1616: JUDGMENT OF THE HOLY OFFICE
• Sun-centered universe is absurd in philosophy and formally heretical since it contradicts Holy Scripture.
• That the earth moves about the sun is absurd in philosophy and at least erroneous in faith
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Who judged?
• The Holy Office, Cardinals
• The Consultors of the Holy Office, Theologians
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PRESENT THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
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THE FUTURE ?• Who can tell?• But there are indications:–Authority–Religious fundamentalism–Scientism
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The Church and Galileo: Then and Now and ?
• Urban VIII (1633): Galileo gave scandal to the whole Christian world• John Paul II (1979): Galileo suffered
much at the hands of the Church• John Paul II (1992): From the Galileo
case one can draw a lesson . . .
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THE FUTURE• Authority in the Church and
authority in Science• Public opinion and the community
of scholars• Evolution and Intelligent Design:
What would Galileo say today?• Chance or necessity? God?
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The great British intellectual and Roman Catholic Cardinal, John Henry Newman, stated in 1868: “The theory of Darwin, true or not, is not necessarily atheistic; on the contrary, it may simply be suggesting a larger idea of Divine Providence and Skill.”
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Lessons Learned
• Science and religion are independent areas of human culture; best serve that culture when they dialogue in mutual respect
• Church must listen to and dialogue with the sciences
• The limitations of science• There is no science in Scripture• Faith and reason: conflict?
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Retreat