Galileo: a Typical Renaissance Astronomer

The Renaissance is known as a time of rebirth of thinking, learning, and teaching. One of the main changes associated with this time is the expansion of culture and intellect. It was a time of changes that included new and different ways of gaining knowledge, the general expansion of the sharing of knowledge, and broadened scholastic authority; all of which are exemplified by Galileo Galilei and his works. Galileo is an excellent example of a typical Renaissance astronomer.

Prior to the Renaissance, scholar’s blindly followed Aristotle and his works on the philosophy of nature. It wasn’t until the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries that scholars began to challenge the works of Aristotle. This is said to be one of the reasons for which the Renaissance came about. Before the Renaissance, almost all scholar’s were blind followers of Aristotle. His “tried and true” theories were somewhat of a habit and it was easier to have faith in his works rather than challenge the church and the majority of scholars at the time. Fortunately the Renaissance brought along a changed view on education and led to altered ways of thinking. Scholar’s began to use their senses as tools for learning, as well as reason and logic. In Galileo’s case he challenged many of Aristotle’s works, who was the leading philosopher at the time and was also supported by the church. More specifically Galileo rejected Aristotelian theories of motion and was led to create his own theories and publish his laws of motion in his Discourse on the Two New Sciences. In this publication it is clear that Galileo is not afraid to challenge the past and to publish new ideas that contradict past theories. “There is perhaps nothing in nature older than motion, about which volumes neither few nor small have been written by philosophers; yet I find many essentials of it that are worth knowing which have not yet been remarked, let alone demonstrated” this quotation clearly demonstrates Galileo’s boldness when it comes...