The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition (Great Discoveries)

The trial of Galileo Galilei by the Roman Inquisition began on April 12, 1633. Our modern perception of this event is colored by experience with our current judicial system, in which two sides present evidence and argue their respective cases. But Galileo's trial was not about his scientific theories versus the teachings of the Catholic Church; his inquisition was about obedience to the edicts of Rome. In //The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition//, Dan Hofstadter presents a richly detailed narrative describing the political, social, and scientific context in which Galileo made his astronomical observations and the conclusions he drew from them. In a time when there were no intellectual property rights and success often depended on support from a rich patron, Galileo inspired the deadly sin of envy in many of his peers. The radical idea of using scientific observations and experimentation to derive explanations for natural phenomena also caused a great deal of resentment from traditionalists. By chronicling the history of Galileo's scientific work, along with the personalities and motives of his prosecutors, Dan Hofstadter provides an enlightening perspective on the persecution of one of the greatest scientists the world has ever known. Reviewed by Laurie Racca