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.