Sponsored by the Office for History of Science and Technology
Maurice Finocchiaro
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Retrying Galileo, 1633-1992
In the four centuries since Galileo's condemnation in 1633, the controversy about its facts, causes, issues, and implications has become a cause célèbre whose importance and fascination rival those of the original episode. Yet until recently that subsequent controversy had not been systematically studied. This talk will report on a recently completed book that surveys the sources, facts, and issues of that subsequent controversy. It will also discuss some broader and deeper interpretive and critical issues involving comparison and contrast of the original affair and the subsequent cause célèbre, the relationship between science and religion, and the tension between cultural myths and documented facts. And the talk will preview a new project for a synthetic account that would provide both an interpretive understanding and a critical assessment of both Galileo's original trial (1613-1633) and the subsequent Galileo affair (1633-1992).
4:00PM
Monday, May 9
203 Wheeler Hall Office for History of Science and Technology, 543 Stephens Hall #2350
University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-2350
tel: (510) 642-4581, e-mail: Office@ohst7.berkeley.edu
