Jacop indicates that in late 1580, Galileo began the process of renewing and rewriting central tenets of the current mechanical philosophy Galileo ushered in a scientific turning point and because of him, humanity would never see themselves, the world or our place in the universe the same again. Early in his life, Galileo's physical science theories conflicted with some of the greatest minds in history, including Aristotle. ...

• Word Count: 338
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Summary Until Galileo's time science was a handmaiden of philosophy which in turn was the handmaiden of theology. ... This contradicted express statements by Aristotle concerning the heavens where no change could ever take place. The Church at the time accepted Aristotle's view that the heavens were made of perfect and unalterable substance called the "quintessence". ... Throughout the book Drake attempts to portray Galileo as a man striving for a new philosophy that would displace verbal exercise of Aristotle but unlike them did not set one forth. Drake comments that, "Aristotle&#...

• Word Count: 3037
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published Revolutions of the Celestial Orbs, which put forth his revolutionary idea that the Sun was at the center of the universe, opposing the popularly accepted understanding of the geocentric universe embodied by the natural philosophy of Aristotle, the astronomy of Ptolemy and the teachings of the Church that the stationary Earth had the sun and stars revolving around it. ...

• Word Count: 881
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate