Galileo Galilei

Gracie Smith
MSMU Class of 2027

"Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe."
- Galileo Galilei

(2/2025) The age of modernity is heavily taught at Mount Saint Mary’s University. The distinction between ancient and modern science, philosophy, and even theology is discussed to a point that makes you wonder what life would have been like without the Enlightenment. Now, for each of the above topics, their respective enlightenment occurred and even developed over time. Contrary to my typical articles revolving around some sort of American history, I’m going to talk about science.

Galileo Galilei, born February 15th, 1564, is most commonly referred to as the Father of Modern Astronomy, the Father of Modern Physics, and, at this point, the Father of Modern Science. Born in Pisa, Italy, he is recognized for his invention of the telescope. This invention was revolutionary for its time since it disproved the accepted theory that everything in the sky revolved around the Earth; this is known as geocentrism and is still believed in some parts of the world - though not many. Instead, it was discovered that the Earth, and all the other planets, revolved around the sun. This is known as heliocentrism, which was originally proposed by Copernicus and later confirmed by Galileo.

Nevertheless, not everyone was very accepting of this new and confirmed discovery. The theologians of the Catholic Church were always in some sort of disagreement with Galileo, mostly due to his arrogant character but also because his scientific discoveries constantly disproved their interpretations of scripture. The persistent bickering between the Catholic Church and Galileo was never-ending to the point that the theologians, unwilling to hear Galileo’s rebuttals to the interpretations of scripture, sentenced Galileo to house arrest for life.

Galileo wrote to the Grand Duchess Christina, most likely a patron of his discovery, voicing his concerns since the Theologians cast him and his ideas away. I find it very impactful that he said "I piously and prudently agree that sacred scripture can never lie, but only insofar as the true meanings of its words are understood."

Galileo, in response to the theologians’ accusations, stated that scripture and the existence of God are true, however, it is misinterpreted by the theologians. In his letter, Galileo then continues to, very assertively and pompously I’ll admit, suggest that the theologians reanalyze the Bible and look at it more literally rather than symbolically due to its collision with recent scientific discovery.

This task was something that challenged not only the theologians of the time but everyone. That is to say, how can science and religion coexist peacefully when one is constantly contesting the other? Galileo challenged the world to accept heliocentrism and continue the practice of Catholicism. Thinking synchronically, this was a huge task for the average person. Despite the printing press being invented in the early 15th century, not everyone had access to books to obtain the knowledge Galileo and other scholars did. The average person lived off of the words the Catholic Church fed to them during weekly or daily mass. Scripture was printed and distributed to those who could afford it. Galileo asked people to reconsider everything they’ve understood about Scripture and, as the theologians made it out to be, go against what had already been established. To the average person, you were forced to choose between the Catholic Church and the Enlightenment. One side guaranteed eternal glory in Heaven for those who worshiped and believed while also declaring eternal damnation for those who chose to go against the Scripture. Meanwhile, the other side offered new ideas, new certainties, and modernity as we know it today. Was there really a correct side?

When most people think of Galileo, they only consider what he invented rather than the lasting impact he left on Europeans, and now us. While a notably ignorant and arrogant man, Galileo stood up for his discovery while jointly encouraging others that scripture was still true. It is one of his greatest accomplishments; the establishment of the peaceful coexistence between science and religion.

Arguably the most interesting thing about Galileo was his ability to reveal the intentions of the Catholic Church in the 16th century. By this, I mean that his discovery and further, persecution, exposed how corrupt the Catholic Church was during that time. Considering the means and advances he had to go through to make his points evident go to show how narrow-minded the theologians were. It is scary to think about how their dismissiveness could have impacted the Enlightenment. That is to say, entertaining the notion that Galileo’s discovery would have been rejected altogether would mean perhaps a few more centuries of believing in geocentrism. How could this have impacted our history? I mean we’ve got the Rennaisance, the 30 Years War, the English Civil Wars, the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, the American Civil Wars, then it gets interesting with World War I, then World War II because the Treaty of Versailles just wasn’t enough to stop the Germans.

The theologians were faced with a harsh reality that they were forced to accept. That doesn’t mean that the foundation of what you believe doesn’t exist, it just means you have to change the angle at which you look at it. Initiating this way of thinking from a young age allowed for the adaptability of humans to be more flexible. The acceptance of modernity had begun to be seen positively rather than something that was feared.

This February 15th, in honor of such an incredible scientist, I challenge you all to think of a time in which you rejected change; a time when you were scared to accept the truth; or a time when you were forced to see things from a different perspective. Change is a part of life, but so is acceptance. Learning to coexist with ideas that make us uncomfortable makes us stronger. Galileo, and all he stood for, proved that science can coexist with religion.