Galileo (Christian Encounters)

First off, two notes/disclosures: Firstly, I was not familiar with the Christian Encounters series before purchasing this book and did not quite get what I thought I would be getting, and, secondly, I myself am not a Christian.That said, I liked this book and I disliked it.Pros: It is a concise biography and a quick read; the chapters are short, the style clear --perhaps even a bit overly simple. I did learn a few new things about Galileo, and I did find the mild rebuttals to the typical "Galileo was persecuted because he was a scientist" story interesting; this wasn't something I'd thought about much, before.Cons: There are just too many "jokes" (mostly as sarcastic comments) sprinkled throughout the book. Yes, math is hard and, yes, science is "sciency" and, yes, people who like math and science are sometimes oddballs. But the jokes get old and at some point it begins to feel like the author is either condescending to the reader or presenting math/science as something "those other people do."Cons "the second": My second complaint is due to my not being a Christian, so I'm separating it; obviously, a book in the "Christian Encounters" series is not aimed at me. That said, I do feel like there was too much editorializing along the lines of "well, obviously this all wouldn't work if it weren't designed that way." Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. I think the effect of this was magnified because of the above mentioned snarkiness re: math being hard, etc. Again, it condescends to the reader to joke, "Hey, math is hard and people who do it are a bit off!" and then say a few pages later, "Hey, but we all know the math wouldn't work unless it was all designed so well."Overall, a decent short biography, but with a number of stylistic/presentation flaws, and aimed at a specific audience.

"On February 19, 1616, at the behest of the pope, the Holy Office of the Inquisition asked a panel of eleven1595550313_l theologians to judge the following Copernican theses." The thesis was stated as follows:The sun is the center of the world and hence immovable of local motion.The earth is not the center of the world, nor immovable but moves according to the whole of itself, also with a diurnal motion.The papal lynch mob responded in kind by suggesting that the immobility of the sun, was "foolish and absurd in philosophy, and formally heretical, inasmuch as it expressly contradicts the doctrine of the Holy Scripture in many passages, both in their literal meaning and according to the general interpretation of the Fathers and Doctors."The second thesis was judged in similar fashion:"... To receive the same censure in philosophy and, as regards theological truth, to be at least erroneous in faith."These are the matters before the Roman Catholic Church in the early 17th century, just over 100 years after the thunderbolt that struck when Luther hammered his 95 thesis on the castle door for public dispute. Luther's action was considered treasonous and heretical and was consequently labeled as a heretic and labeled by the Pope Leo XV as a "wild boar in the vineyard." As a result, Luther is hunted for the remainder of his days. Evidently, bad habits die hard because Rome is still on the hunt in the 17th century - only this time, their target is the brilliant scientist, Galileo.Galileo by Mitch Stokes is a fascinating account of a man who sought to reconcile the universals and the particulars. He was not only a sharp scientist (some consider him to be the most influential in the history of western thought), he also had a keen philosophical mind and a heart for the Scriptures.Stokes guides readers on a fairly comprehensive tour of the Italian genius. He chronicles his days as a boy and discusses the influence of his father, his life as a university student, and ultimately his career as a university professor. But the most interesting part of the tale has to do with Galileo's defense of Copernicus, the German astronomer who set forth a heliocentric vision of the universe. This vision bravely displaced the earth from the center and moved the sun to "center" stage.Initially, Rome was content to simply put up with the heliocentric model, (even though the church essentially prohibited the promotion of Copernicanism in a 1616 edict), so long as it was presented as mere "mathematical tool." Galileo was not content was this clever arrangement - even as his friend made his ascent to the papal throne - Pope Urban VIII.The publication of Galileo's book, Dialogue prompted a firestorm that led the Pope to order a special Commission to investigate the contents of the book. The controversy eventually escalated which resulted in "an outburst of rage" from the Pope who remarked that Galileo had "entered the most dangerous ground there was." Ultimately, Pope Urban accused Galileo of betraying his trust. As a result, he refused to allow Galileo to speak to him personally. Evidently, Galileo forgot that the Pope speaks ex cathedra!

So far I like this book. My son has to read it for physics class and I'm reading it too. Like the writing style. Very interesting. Might give it 5stars when I finish. :)

This is an important and interesting book, for anyone willing to know about the Galileo affair, beyond the prejudices of conventional wisdom.Giving a brief and clear explanation of the Aristotelian world view, it describes how that view was overcome by the theories and discoveries of Copernicus and Galileo. It also shows that, contrary to what is generally believed, many important catholic authorities shared Galileo’s views and protect him from a confused and over-defensive Counter Reformist Inquisition.

Probably the best book that I'm going to read on a guy like Galileo, but really, who's really like him? I was surprised by how informative historically this book was, and I really like it. He was such an interesting guy and I wouldn't have known it had I not seen a review on a blog I frequent. Definitely worth the price on a Kindle, which works great. Great job, author!

Interesting approach covering a very interesting man of science and his times. Well presented and documented. There's always more to this many times told tale.

Need to continue to read I found it intersting but not very sure yet. I need to re-read it .