Preface and Acknowledgments
1: Introduction: Avoiding Myths and Muddles
2: When the Earth Stood Still
3: The Copernican Controversy (1543-1609)
4: Re-assessing Copernicanism (1609-1616)
5: The Earlier Inquisition Proceedings (1615-1616)
6: The Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems (1632)
7: The Inquisition Trial (1632-1633)
8: Becoming a Cultural Icon (1616-2016)
9: Religion vs. Science?
10: A Model of Critical Thinking?
11: Some Final Thoughts
Further Reading and Cited Works
Notes
Maurice Finocchiaro is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (B.S., 1964) and of the University of
California-Berkeley (Ph.D., 1969); now Distinguished Professor of
Philosophy (Emeritus), University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He is the
recipient of awards from the National Science Foundation (1976-77
and 1998-2002), the National Endowment for the Humanities (1983-84
and 1992-95), the American Council of Learned Societies (1991-92),
the Guggenheim
Foundation (1998-99), and the International Society for the Study
of Argumentation (2008). His books include Galileo and the Art of
Reasoning (1980), Defending Copernicus and Galileo: Critical
Reasoning in
the Two Affairs (2010), Arguments about Arguments (2005), and
Meta-argumentation (2013).
Students of early modern science are indebted to Maurice
Finocchiaro for his lifetime of scholarly effort relating to the
work of Galileo ... this latest work is also welcome, providing a
readable summary of the main issues at stake in the Galileo affair
and of Finocchiaro's defence of Galileo's reasoning. I say
'defence' because ... While his latest book exemplifies the
even-handedness he praises in the work of his seventeenth-century
hero, it nevertheless constitutes a vigorous defence of both
Galileo's approach to the scientific enterprise and his attempts to
separate science and religion.
*Gregory Dawes, Metascience*
Finocchiaro [...] presents the arguments of Galileo, his supporters
and his opponents with lucidity.
*Geoffrey Cantor, The Times Higher Education Supplement*
a comprehensive account of the Galileo affair ... Finocchiaro's
book is a must-read for all those interested in this episode
constitutive of modernity.
*Revue des Questions Scientifiques *
This is a truly masterful presentation with a critical analysis of
the underlying issues; even though it is not geared to the usual
small scholarly audience, it will be welcomed by those historians
of astronomy who are not expert in the world of Galileo ...
Finocchiaro is not afraid at ruffling academic feathers, which is
an especially refreshing approach; it gives his text an edginess
that makes this book eminently readable and entirely
fascinating.
*Clifford Cunningham, Journal of Astronomical History and
Heritage*
A highly enjoyable and profitable reading experience.
*José Manuel Lozano-Gotor, ESSSAT News & Reviews*
Finocchiaro does a great job of explaining complexities to a lay
audience, clearly with the intent of promoting deeper
understanding. Such awareness is required to understand the nuances
of Galileo's trial, which involved theological, scientific, and
epistemological arguments.
*Matthew R. Fisher, The American Biology Teacher*
Finocchiaro presents a fascinating examination of these [trial]
events and the ways Galileo's trial was essential in turning the
Copernican hypothesis into accepted theory.
*Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American*
Finocchiaro [...] undertakes with great care a discussion of the
nature of rationality and of Galileo's argumentative techniques ...
Combining history and philosophy of science, [he] provides an
interpretive key from the point of view of a lay scholar, but
always ready to do justice to both sides of the controversy.
*Stefano Gattei, Corriere della sera (translated from Italian)*
With lucid explanations and clear illustrations, [Finocchiaro]
paints a picture of the early 16th-century worldview ... He takes
us there by way of an interesting, authoritative journey through
the history of science and philosophy. Enriched with a detailed
bibliography and index, "On Trial for Reason" is destined to become
the classic treatment of this subject.
*Nancy L. Roberts, Catholic News Service*
Finocchiaro does a masterly job of explaining the real issues
involved in the trial and how the trial has been interpreted down
to the present day. It is a subtle and complex story out of which
Galileo emerges with great credit.
*The Church of England Newspaper*
[A] spirited book.
*Jonathan Wright, The Catholic Herald*
With scrupulous attention to evidence and the argumentation
employed by various participants, Dr. Finocchiaro's book is at once
an accessible primer on a key event in the 16th- and 17th-century
Scientific Revolution, and a thought provoking look at how the
subsequent controversies resonate down to the present day.
*Aaron Weinacht, New Books Network*
Finocchiaro, already the author of [several] books about Galileo,
details the way in which the scientist's Dialogue Concerning the
Two Chief World Systems led to his inquisition trial. The
comprehensive account is full of information likely to be new to
the reader.
*Ralph Jones, New Humanist*
Authoritative ... [Finocchiaro] highlights open-mindedness,
judiciousness and fair-mindedness, concluding that Galileo was a
indeed a model of critical reasoning. These qualities also apply to
the book as a whole, which can be highly recommended as a nuanced
study of this famous episode.
*David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer*
What I like about On Trial for Reason is that it very economically
gives you a lot of basic things that you want to know about
Galileo. What exactly is the nature of Galileo's scientific
innovation? What has he done? What are the controversies? What are
the problems of it from a scientific perspective, from a
philosophical perspective, and then, of course, ultimately, from a
religious perspective? He [Finocchiaro] also reads the trial like a
forensic analyst.
*Paula Findlen, FiveBooks*
This work is distinguished by an unhurried, comprehensive
presentation of the relevant historical facts...and a patient
unbraiding and discussion of the surprisingly numerous and diverse
methodological issues...They cannot be found laid out and explained
with anywhere near the adequacy and clarity they receive here in
any other book on the topic. All future discussion on Galileo
necessarily moves through Finocchiaro's culminating
masterpiece.
*Patrick Madigan, The Heythrop Journal*
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