The Galileo Controversy
The Galileo Affair is a well known historical event which took place in the early 1600's. The famous Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei challenged the Catholic Church's long held view that the Earth was the center of our Universe (Aristotelian view) .Galileo found evidence which supported the controversial Copernican view of the Universe which claimed that it was the Sun and not the Earth that stood in the center of our Universe. Galileo came forth with evidence to support this theory in various writings and the Catholic Church was very displeased with this act. The Galileo Affair with the Catholic Church publicly challenged the idea that common belief equated with truth, thus encouraging a more open and scientific mindset. In the end, even though Galileo was forced to recant his theories, Galileo's Heliocentric belief challenged the church's Geocentric Aristotelian; view further challenging the church's authority!
The Galileo Controversy is a great example of how bravely challenging commonly held beliefs can lead to intellectual growth in our society.
The Galileo Controversy is a great example of how bravely challenging commonly held beliefs can lead to intellectual growth in our society.