International year of astronomy 2009

About this book

"The papers gathered in this volume were delivered at a conference at the University of St. Michael's College on Galileo, science and the church. The purpose of the conference was twofold: (i) to gather together scholars interested in revisiting Galileo's thought on the relationship between science, faith and the arts. (ii) to bring his ideas into dialogue with their representation in the arts since the seventeenth century, including literature and film. The conference gave rise to a lively discussion of the ideas and circumstances that led to Galileo's trial in Rome and to issues in his thought that are still very much with us today. The scholars represented in this volume are concerned with the place occupied by Galileo's thought in the history of theology, philosophy, science, and the arts. Their reflections and their research shed much light on aspects of Galileo's uneasy relationship with the culture of his day and ours, and they point the way to new approaches to his works."--