Galileo's Influence On Religion
Galileo was living in the time when the Catholic Church was the dominant power and strongly supported the theory of a geocentric, or Earth-centered, universe. As influenced by the Church, most people in Galileo’s time believed the cosmology of antiquity, which was that the Earth was the center of the universe, and that the Sun and planets revolved around it. Galileo was one of the most important figures in the history of science and scientific method, his invention of telescopes has supported his research through observations and hypotheses. He strengthened the idea that science should be on the basis of facts with supports by numerous evidences. His science and scientific method reflect the transition from medieval to modern science. At
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With Galileo’s invention of advantaged telescope, his was able to fulfill his most famous discovery when he pointed his telescope at Jupiter. Before Galileo’s discovery of moons that later led to the confirmation of the heliocentric theory, the cosmological beliefs were predominantly based on Aristotle. There was a conflict between geocentric theory and heliocentric theory, which had deeply embedded in Catholic theology. Aristotle believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and it was the only center of motion, whereas, the motions of planets and the Sun orbited Earth. He saw what he initially called the “fixed stars” accompanying it. He observed that these dots changed position. The only explanation was that those stars were not fixed at all, but moved with Jupiter like the moon moves around the Earth. Galileo proved that the Earth was, in fact, not the only planet to have a moon, Jupiter had four. This was the beginning of the disproving of the Aristotelian geocentric universe. These views conflicted with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The truth ripped away the uniqueness of the
With Galileo’s invention of advantaged telescope, his was able to fulfill his most famous discovery when he pointed his telescope at Jupiter. Before Galileo’s discovery of moons that later led to the confirmation of the heliocentric theory, the cosmological beliefs were predominantly based on Aristotle. There was a conflict between geocentric theory and heliocentric theory, which had deeply embedded in Catholic theology. Aristotle believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and it was the only center of motion, whereas, the motions of planets and the Sun orbited Earth. He saw what he initially called the “fixed stars” accompanying it. He observed that these dots changed position. The only explanation was that those stars were not fixed at all, but moved with Jupiter like the moon moves around the Earth. Galileo proved that the Earth was, in fact, not the only planet to have a moon, Jupiter had four. This was the beginning of the disproving of the Aristotelian geocentric universe. These views conflicted with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The truth ripped away the uniqueness of the