In a startling reinterpretation of Galileo's trial, Stillman Drake advances the hypothesis that Galileo's prosecution and condemnation by the Inquisition was caused not by his defiance of the Church but by the hostility of contemporary philosophers. Galileo's own beautifully lucid arguments are used in this volume to show how his scientific method was utterly divorced from the Aristotelian approach to physics; it was based on a search not for causes but for laws. Galileo's methods had an overwhelming significance for the development of modern physics, and they led to a final parting of the ways between science and philosophy. Now, in this extraordinary and concise introduction, Drake provides a stimulating view of Galileo's life and works, providing a fresh perspective on Galileo's methodology and his final incrimination.

Table of Contents

1 The background

2 Galileo's early years

3 Conflicts with philosophers

4 Conflicts with astronomers and theologians

5 The Dialogue and the Inquisition

6 The final years

About the Author

Stillman Drake, FRSC, was Emeritus Professor of the History of Science, University of Toronto, and author of Galileo: His Scientific Biography (1978). His translations of Galileo's scientific works include Cause, Experiment, and Science (1981) and Telescopes, Tides, and Tactics (1983).