Finally, another lesson in a different direction, but one not often drawn,
is that it was Galileo, who believed in the Bible, who was advancing a better
scientific understanding of the universe, not only, as we have seen, against
the obscurantism of some churchmen, 28 but (and first of all) against the
resistance (and obscurantism) of the secular philosophers of his time who,
like the churchmen, were also convinced disciples of Aristotle. Philosophers
and scientists today also have need of humility in light of facts, even if those
facts are being pointed out to them by a believer in God. Lack of belief
in God is no more of a guarantee of scientific orthodoxy than is belief in
God. What is clear, in Galileo’s time and ours, is that criticism of a reigning
scientific paradigm is fraught with risk, no matter who is engaged in it. We
conclude that the ‘Galileo affair’ really does nothing to confirm a simplistic
conflict view of the relationship of science to religion.- John Lennox, God's Undertaker.
3 comments:
By far the best treatment of the Galileo affair is this series of audio lectures by Dr. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., Ph.D.
Excellent - Not only uber informative and deeply insightful, but Guy's a hell of a good speaker. (I heard him in person some years ago at Stellafane in Vermont. I give it 5 stars out of 5.
Aarrgh! I had meant to write "By far the best treatment of the Galileo affair that I've come across" rather than the rather blanket statement in the posting above. I am sure there are better treatments that I haven't read or (as in this case) heard. But of those that I have, this one takes the cake - highest recommendation!
It doesn't prove that the church persecuted science. What does it prove?popes could be jerks
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