Galileo Galilee: Relationship Between Catholic Church And Scientific Progress

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In almost all histories and studies of science and religion, a “warfare thesis” has defined the relationship between the Catholic Church and scientific progress. According to this thesis, Galileo Galilee is portrayed as a brave and heroic general, a protector of science, and a martyr for the cause of truth. Likewise, the Church has been stereotyped as an ignorant and backward institution, clinging to her naïve predispositions, archaic philosophy, and unsubstantiated traditions. Though this “warfare thesis” has its merits, it fails to account for the political and social influences causing the decline of the Catholic Church during the time surrounding the Galileo affair. In actuality, the Galileo affair is the reaction of the Roman Catholic Church to its decline during the 17th Century. During this period, the Catholic Church was beginning to feel the weight …show more content…

Meanwhile, back in Rome, she was loosing influence due to challenges presented to her doctrine and teachings by the scientific revolution. In response to these challenges, the Catholic Church attempted to redirect people’s attention away from her more serious problems by finding something she could do to show she still had influence and authority over people’s lives. For the church, attacking Galileo and his ideas was the perfect way to show people that she was just as powerful as she had ever been in the past.
Emerging from the High Medieval and Renaissance Periods, the Catholic Church and the Holy See experienced a decline in wealth, power, and influence. This was due in part to perceived threats from the Protestant Reformation and from the scientific revolution of

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