Galileo Versus The Church

From experiments to inquisition, discover the Renaissance scientist’s iconic clash with the pope and how he proved that the Earth goes around the Sun

- Jessica Leggett

  

Galileo Galilei was never destined for a life as an astronomer and physicist. Ironically, he attended school at the local monastery and after this had been well on his way for a future as a doctor. His father, Vincenzio, had high hopes for his son and arranged for him to study medicine at the University of Pisa from 1581. In spite of this, Galileo never cared for biology, developing a far greater interest in philosophy and mathematics. Against the protestations of his father, he promptly switched subjects and never looked back.

Studying hard for four years, Galileo left university without a degree and turned his hand to private tutoring. During this time he wrote his short treatise, Cosmography, which he used to teach his students about the mysterious celestial bodies. Cosmography adhered to the widely accepted, traditional geocentric philosophies of Aristotle and Ptolemy, which placed the Earth at the centre of the universe.

He soon moved on from his tutoring career and returned to the University of Pisa in 1589, where he spent the next three years as the professor of mathematics. It is likely that this is when he succeeded in disproving Aristotle’s theory that objects of different mass fall at different speeds, though whether Galileo actually tested this by dropping balls of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is disputed as the only record we have of it is a biography written by his pupil Vincenzo Viviani in 1717.

Unfortunately, his unconventional beliefs made Galileo unpopular so his contract at the university was not renewed. He moved once again in 1592 and travelled north to Padua, where he assumed a new, higher paid position as a professor of mathematics at the city’s university. Here, Galileo really began to hone his research. He conducted a number of experiments, many of which were in the field of mechanics.