Summary
Title: Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius
Author: William R. Shea and Mariano Artigas
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195165985
Pro:
• Humanizes Galileo, showing both his virtue and his faults
Con:
• Seems to want to argue that the Catholic Church was not unjustified, but fails
Description:
• Description of Galileo's 6 visits to Rome and the outcome of each
• Explains Galileo's political and personal missteps
• Forty photographs and illustrations
Book Review
That's what William R. Shea, a historian of science at the University of Padua, and Mariano Artigas, a philosopher of science at the University of Navarra and ordained Catholic priest, attempt to answer in their recent book Galileo in Rome. According to these two authors, the conflict wasn't simply an intellectual disagreement. Instead, it was the product of a set of political, religious, and scientific forces that were already causing problems in Rome. Galileo stepped into a situation he didn't create, but did make worse through his own political and personal missteps.
Shea and Artigas offer not a biography of Galileo but an analysis of his six different visits to Rome - from his first visit as an unemployed mathematician at age 23 to his final trip to face the Inquisition. In each instance they explain what precipitated his journey, what he did while there, and what the consequences of his actions ultimately were. We learn here about the political in-fighting, the plots developed behind closed doors, and the many misunderstandings - not a few of which were due to Galileo's own aggressive and uncompromising personality.
In the end Galileo is greatly humanized. He isn't a mythical figure to be put on a pedestal, but a real human being with plenty of flaws as well as virtues. He is not, however, a villain in this story - an impression which one might get if one isn't careful. Shea and Artigas are not simply trying to show that Galileo's conflict with the Roman Catholic Church wasn't as clear-cut as many assume, but also to rehabilitate the Catholic leaders responsible for punishing and censoring Galileo.
