Galileos Documents in Western Civilization Essay - 1

Galileos Documents in Western Civilization - Essay Example Due to these beliefs, there was great opposition to his work by the defenders of the established truths during his era. Scholars were locked in the old knowledge and beliefs, commonly acceptable to the Church. New discoveries contradicting these were heresy and persons proposing them were destined to ridicule and even worse, arrest, as was Galileo’s fate later on in his life. In the succeeding chapter, his letter to the Serene Duchess Mother showed his frustrations against the non-acceptance of his discoveries and line of scientific inquiry, particularly his discoveries of the heavens. He describes the fondness of scholars during his time for their own opinions, rather than the search for truth and the use of biblical passages in the wrong context, to advance their accepted beliefs. In his letter, he describes how other scholars are greatly disturbed by his arguments, broad ways apart from popular beliefs, which resulted in his condemnation and house arrest. In his view, his quest for knowledge stimulates investigation and growth of the scientific arts, and not the destruction of science per se. He further argues that God gave a man the intellect and sense of reason to ultimately look for the truth of all that is around us. Religion and science clashed by Galileo’s discoveries as they were considered radical during his era. It deviated from established beliefs held acceptable by scholars of the period. A greater number of scholars held on to these beliefs commonly held acceptable by the Church.

Sexual Orientation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sexual Orientation - Essay Example They believe that it is imperative that the controversial issues be handled head on so that everyone concerned is able to live with relative harmony. Sexual preferences have become major issues which promote widespread inequality, thereby, necessitating an urgent need to address this in the wider interest of the society. The essay would be critically assessing the three articles on these issues taken from the book "The meaning of difference: American constructions of race, sex and gender, social class, and sexual orientation" by Karen E. Rosenblum and Toni-Michelle C. Travis. ‘The naming of sexual attraction’, an article by Michael R. Kauth, explores the sexual orientation of the people through the ages and its evolution, both in terms of acknowledgement and acceptance by the society. Kauth has maintained that sexual attraction had always been a sensitive issue that was intrinsically bound within the religious and cultural paradigms of the society. The language and the words play crucial role in defining the overall meaning to sexual orientation or behaviour. According to the article, in the 19th century, the term homosexuality was ‘adopted by psychiatrists and medical practitioners to identify a type of psychopathology and, consequently, this term implies sickness, aberrance and immaturity’ (Kauth1). Apart from the medical professionals, the powerful groups of people, who have considerable influence on the public, are the main decisive powers that define and confine the role of ‘sexual attraction’. Hence, it is for this reason that social paradigms and social values often reflect the views and ideologies of the few prominent people in power, which are carried forward through the times. In the ancient time, ‘gay’ was used to describe gaiety and happiness by the roman soldiers. Before the 19th century, sexuality or sexual preference