Was Galileo more lucky than right? I kept wondering about that as I read "Galileo, the Church, and the Cosmos" from When Science and Christianity Meet. Galileo was a champion of the heliocentric model of the cosmos, which ran counter to both well-established science and the prevailing doctrine of Catholic theologians. The alternative geocentric model, and more specifically the cosmology of Ptolemy and Aristotle, has long since fallen out of favor with both scientists and Christian scholars of all stripes. So of course … [Read more...] about Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 2
David Lindberg
Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 1
"And that, my lord, is how we know the Earth to be banana-shaped." "This new learning amazes me, Sir Bedevere. Explain again how sheep's bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes." I couldn't help but think of that quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail as I read David Lindberg's essay on medieval science. Beneath the characteristic Python silliness lies a hint of what actually transpired among western European scholars of the Middle Ages. A New Learning was arriving in the form of classical texts and Arabic … [Read more...] about Science Book Club: When Science & Christianity Meet Ch 1