Galileo
12-19-2008, 02:34 PM
Galileo taken out by Government Conspiracy
Did Galileo Galilei get a fair trial?
No, but some have argued that Galileo got a fair trial for the conditions of his time. Before I answer that, here is another question.
Was the trial of Galileo about the conflict between science and religion?
No. Galileo was charged with breaking the law in 1632 and had his trial in 1633. The legal issues at his trial had nothing to do with science or religion. It had everything to do with the conflict between oppressive government and the sovereign individual.
The trial of Galileo is one of the three most famous (or infamous) trials in history, the others being the trial of Socrates and the trial of Jesus Christ. All these trials are about the power of the state to demand obedience from sovereign individuals. This goes for practically every well-known trial in history, including the trials of Joan of Arc, Martha Stewart, Oscar Wilde, Alfred Dreyfus, the Salem witch trials, Robert Oppenheimer, Susan B. Anthony, Ed Rosenthal, and Giordano Bruno.
The "conflict" of science versus religion is an intellectual conflict. There is nothing wrong with intellectual conflict, the clash of ideas bring us closer to the truth. Galileo himself said in his famous Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (1615) that both science and religion could live together in peace.
Did Galileo get a fair trial for the conditions of his time?
Before I answer that, let me say that it is very important for free people to study the trial of Galileo and other famous trials of history. That's because, in all these trials, the government claimed they were delivering justice. People need to learn the lessons of history.
Here are some of the injustices against Galileo at his trial:
He didn't have a defense lawyer.
He didn't have the right to see the charges against him, confront adverse witnesses, or obtain his own witnesses.
He didn't have a jury of his peers.
He didn't even have a jury.
His judges were not impartial.
His trial was not held in public.
His trial was not held in the location were the alleged crime had been committed. It should have been held in Florence, his home area, rather than in Rome.
He didn't have the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The prosecution didn't have to get a unanimous verdict (they only got 7 of 10 judges to vote guilty).
He did not have the right against self-incrimination.
The prosecution did not have to obtain an indictment from a grand jury.
He was threatened with cruel and unusual punishment, even though he was 69 years old and in poor health.
He wasn't offered bail, even though he wasn't a flight risk.
He freedom of speech and freedom of the press rights were violated.
The right of separation of church and state did not protect him. The Church and the State was the same thing.
His right to contract with book publishers was violated.
His property rights were violated.
He had no criminal intent.
His alleged "crime" did not have a victim.
OK, but did Galileo get a fair trial for the conditions of his time?
No, he did not.
In 1616, the Church expanded the "faith and morals" clause of the Council of Trent in the same way that modern liberals expand the "general welfare" clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Church made a declaration that the Copernican theory of the earth's motion around the sun was false and heretical, even though motions of planets had nothing to do with salvation. Before 1616, Galileo had adopted the Copernican theory, modified it, and strengthened it. The Church declaration did allow the Copernican theory to be debated hypothetically, or used as a mathematical calculating device. The Church ordered the famous book by Nicolas Copernicus to be suspended until corrected. The Church also suspended another book by Diego de Zuniga, and totally banned a book by Paolo Foscarini. The Church declaration did not mention Galileo, nor mention his book Letters on Sunspots (1613), which said in it that the earth moved around the sun.
Galileo obtained a signed notarized letter from the prominent Cardinal Roberto Bellarmine that confirmed Galileo was not being admonished in any way, and that allowed him to debate Copernicus hypothetically, or use his theory as a mathematical calculating device.
In 1623, Galileo went down to Rome to visit the new Pope Urban VIII. Pope Urban told Galileo he could write a book if there was a fair and hypothetical discussion of the Copernican theory.
A few years later, Galileo finished his book. His book was a fictional dialogue between three people debating the theories of Copernicus. He then submitted his book to the Church censors who had to approve the book before it was published. He also went back to Rome in 1630 to visit the Pope again and discuss his book.
In 1632, after some changes, the book was published to widespread acclaim. It was called the Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems. 1000 copies were printed, an enormous number for the time, and they were sold out at once.
Two months later, Galileo was charged with breaking the law and ordered to come to Rome to stand trial. Galileo's book was banned and its price on the black market went up to 10 times over the face value.
In 1633, Galileo went to Rome to stand trial.
Six Things Not Fair, Even For the Conditions of the Time
1)
Since the book was approved and licensed by the Church itself, and Galileo was not an accredited expert on theology, the Church itself was at fault for the book, if anyone was. Galileo went through the proper channels of the time to get his work published. It's important to remember that "the Church" at this time is the same thing as "the government", so this fault of the Church was really a fault of the government.
2)
One of the charges against Galileo was that the preface was written in a different font than the rest of the book. Besides this being a frivolous charge, the publisher, not Galileo, decided the font and it was customary at the time for the preface to be in a different font than the body of a book. Nor did the Church censor specify what fonts were to be used.
3)
Galileo was accused of holding that the Copernican theory was true in his book, rather than just discussing it hypothetically. But Galileo's book was a work of fiction and he never stated that he believed the earth moved.
Some argued that the character Salviati in the book held that the earth moved, and that this character represented Galileo. But the book does not say which characters and statements represented Galileo and which do not. No character in the book said the earth moved, while some said the earth did not move.
Some argued that the arguments contained in the book favored Copernicus over the Church's position. But since the Copernicus position is true and the Church position is false, it is only natural that the arguments favoring Copernicus would be stronger.
4)
The decree of 1616 stated that the to believe the Sun was motionless was heretical. But Galileo argued in his book that the Sun moved because it rotated on its axis. Galileo also denied the “third motion” of the earth postulated by Copernicus. And the decree of 1616 never says arguing the earth moved was heretical, only that it was erroneous in faith.
5)
About halfway through the trial, when it looked like Galileo was winning, he was threatened extra-judicially. He was told he would be tortured if he didn't confess.
6)
As stated above, Galileo had a signed notarized document that permitted him to discuss Copernican theory hypothetically. But suddenly, an unsigned un-notarized document appeared that said Galileo could not discuss the Copernican theory "in any way whatsoever".
The unsigned, un-notarized document should not have been permitted to be introduced as evidence, but it was. This document was used to convict Galileo. The Church claimed that Galileo got his license to publish his book under false pretenses, which is totally false. There is no evidence that Galileo had ever seen of heard of this document. The documented was probably planted. Even if it was not planted, it was not legitimate evidence.
Some have argued that Galileo did not prove that the Copernican theory was true. That's correct, but the truth was not an issue at Galileo's trial. Prior to his trial, Galileo has shown by a preponderance of evidence that the earth moved around the sun, and arguably by clear and convincing evidence, as most astronomers accepted his views within 20 years.
Conclusion
The trial of Galileo is very significant because it illustrates how destructive oppressive government can be. Everyone should study it.
James Madison, alluding to the trial of Galileo, said:
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."
Important Core Reading for a Free, Moral, and Orderly Society
1) Books about the trial of Galileo
2) Books by Stillman Drake, the leading modern authority on Galileo
3) Books about the trial of Socrates
4) The Bible and books about Jesus
5) Expositions on the Bible by Origen of Alexandria, which synthesize Plato with the Bible
6) Expositions on the Bible by St. Thomas Aquinas, which synthesize Aristotle and the Bible
7) Books about the trials of Joan of Arc, Martha Stewart, Oscar Wilde, Alfred Dreyfus, the Salem witch trials, Robert Oppenheimer, Susan B. Anthony, Ed Rosenthal, and Giordano Bruno.
8) Books that synthesize science and religion, including books by Tommaso Campanella, and Foscarini.
9) The United States Constitution
10) Books about James Madison and Thomas Jefferson
11) Books by Dr. Thomas Woods
12) The writings of Lew Rockwell and www.lewrockwell.com
Did Galileo Galilei get a fair trial?
No, but some have argued that Galileo got a fair trial for the conditions of his time. Before I answer that, here is another question.
Was the trial of Galileo about the conflict between science and religion?
No. Galileo was charged with breaking the law in 1632 and had his trial in 1633. The legal issues at his trial had nothing to do with science or religion. It had everything to do with the conflict between oppressive government and the sovereign individual.
The trial of Galileo is one of the three most famous (or infamous) trials in history, the others being the trial of Socrates and the trial of Jesus Christ. All these trials are about the power of the state to demand obedience from sovereign individuals. This goes for practically every well-known trial in history, including the trials of Joan of Arc, Martha Stewart, Oscar Wilde, Alfred Dreyfus, the Salem witch trials, Robert Oppenheimer, Susan B. Anthony, Ed Rosenthal, and Giordano Bruno.
The "conflict" of science versus religion is an intellectual conflict. There is nothing wrong with intellectual conflict, the clash of ideas bring us closer to the truth. Galileo himself said in his famous Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (1615) that both science and religion could live together in peace.
Did Galileo get a fair trial for the conditions of his time?
Before I answer that, let me say that it is very important for free people to study the trial of Galileo and other famous trials of history. That's because, in all these trials, the government claimed they were delivering justice. People need to learn the lessons of history.
Here are some of the injustices against Galileo at his trial:
He didn't have a defense lawyer.
He didn't have the right to see the charges against him, confront adverse witnesses, or obtain his own witnesses.
He didn't have a jury of his peers.
He didn't even have a jury.
His judges were not impartial.
His trial was not held in public.
His trial was not held in the location were the alleged crime had been committed. It should have been held in Florence, his home area, rather than in Rome.
He didn't have the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The prosecution didn't have to get a unanimous verdict (they only got 7 of 10 judges to vote guilty).
He did not have the right against self-incrimination.
The prosecution did not have to obtain an indictment from a grand jury.
He was threatened with cruel and unusual punishment, even though he was 69 years old and in poor health.
He wasn't offered bail, even though he wasn't a flight risk.
He freedom of speech and freedom of the press rights were violated.
The right of separation of church and state did not protect him. The Church and the State was the same thing.
His right to contract with book publishers was violated.
His property rights were violated.
He had no criminal intent.
His alleged "crime" did not have a victim.
OK, but did Galileo get a fair trial for the conditions of his time?
No, he did not.
In 1616, the Church expanded the "faith and morals" clause of the Council of Trent in the same way that modern liberals expand the "general welfare" clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Church made a declaration that the Copernican theory of the earth's motion around the sun was false and heretical, even though motions of planets had nothing to do with salvation. Before 1616, Galileo had adopted the Copernican theory, modified it, and strengthened it. The Church declaration did allow the Copernican theory to be debated hypothetically, or used as a mathematical calculating device. The Church ordered the famous book by Nicolas Copernicus to be suspended until corrected. The Church also suspended another book by Diego de Zuniga, and totally banned a book by Paolo Foscarini. The Church declaration did not mention Galileo, nor mention his book Letters on Sunspots (1613), which said in it that the earth moved around the sun.
Galileo obtained a signed notarized letter from the prominent Cardinal Roberto Bellarmine that confirmed Galileo was not being admonished in any way, and that allowed him to debate Copernicus hypothetically, or use his theory as a mathematical calculating device.
In 1623, Galileo went down to Rome to visit the new Pope Urban VIII. Pope Urban told Galileo he could write a book if there was a fair and hypothetical discussion of the Copernican theory.
A few years later, Galileo finished his book. His book was a fictional dialogue between three people debating the theories of Copernicus. He then submitted his book to the Church censors who had to approve the book before it was published. He also went back to Rome in 1630 to visit the Pope again and discuss his book.
In 1632, after some changes, the book was published to widespread acclaim. It was called the Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems. 1000 copies were printed, an enormous number for the time, and they were sold out at once.
Two months later, Galileo was charged with breaking the law and ordered to come to Rome to stand trial. Galileo's book was banned and its price on the black market went up to 10 times over the face value.
In 1633, Galileo went to Rome to stand trial.
Six Things Not Fair, Even For the Conditions of the Time
1)
Since the book was approved and licensed by the Church itself, and Galileo was not an accredited expert on theology, the Church itself was at fault for the book, if anyone was. Galileo went through the proper channels of the time to get his work published. It's important to remember that "the Church" at this time is the same thing as "the government", so this fault of the Church was really a fault of the government.
2)
One of the charges against Galileo was that the preface was written in a different font than the rest of the book. Besides this being a frivolous charge, the publisher, not Galileo, decided the font and it was customary at the time for the preface to be in a different font than the body of a book. Nor did the Church censor specify what fonts were to be used.
3)
Galileo was accused of holding that the Copernican theory was true in his book, rather than just discussing it hypothetically. But Galileo's book was a work of fiction and he never stated that he believed the earth moved.
Some argued that the character Salviati in the book held that the earth moved, and that this character represented Galileo. But the book does not say which characters and statements represented Galileo and which do not. No character in the book said the earth moved, while some said the earth did not move.
Some argued that the arguments contained in the book favored Copernicus over the Church's position. But since the Copernicus position is true and the Church position is false, it is only natural that the arguments favoring Copernicus would be stronger.
4)
The decree of 1616 stated that the to believe the Sun was motionless was heretical. But Galileo argued in his book that the Sun moved because it rotated on its axis. Galileo also denied the “third motion” of the earth postulated by Copernicus. And the decree of 1616 never says arguing the earth moved was heretical, only that it was erroneous in faith.
5)
About halfway through the trial, when it looked like Galileo was winning, he was threatened extra-judicially. He was told he would be tortured if he didn't confess.
6)
As stated above, Galileo had a signed notarized document that permitted him to discuss Copernican theory hypothetically. But suddenly, an unsigned un-notarized document appeared that said Galileo could not discuss the Copernican theory "in any way whatsoever".
The unsigned, un-notarized document should not have been permitted to be introduced as evidence, but it was. This document was used to convict Galileo. The Church claimed that Galileo got his license to publish his book under false pretenses, which is totally false. There is no evidence that Galileo had ever seen of heard of this document. The documented was probably planted. Even if it was not planted, it was not legitimate evidence.
Some have argued that Galileo did not prove that the Copernican theory was true. That's correct, but the truth was not an issue at Galileo's trial. Prior to his trial, Galileo has shown by a preponderance of evidence that the earth moved around the sun, and arguably by clear and convincing evidence, as most astronomers accepted his views within 20 years.
Conclusion
The trial of Galileo is very significant because it illustrates how destructive oppressive government can be. Everyone should study it.
James Madison, alluding to the trial of Galileo, said:
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."
Important Core Reading for a Free, Moral, and Orderly Society
1) Books about the trial of Galileo
2) Books by Stillman Drake, the leading modern authority on Galileo
3) Books about the trial of Socrates
4) The Bible and books about Jesus
5) Expositions on the Bible by Origen of Alexandria, which synthesize Plato with the Bible
6) Expositions on the Bible by St. Thomas Aquinas, which synthesize Aristotle and the Bible
7) Books about the trials of Joan of Arc, Martha Stewart, Oscar Wilde, Alfred Dreyfus, the Salem witch trials, Robert Oppenheimer, Susan B. Anthony, Ed Rosenthal, and Giordano Bruno.
8) Books that synthesize science and religion, including books by Tommaso Campanella, and Foscarini.
9) The United States Constitution
10) Books about James Madison and Thomas Jefferson
11) Books by Dr. Thomas Woods
12) The writings of Lew Rockwell and www.lewrockwell.com