Galileo: Watcher of the Skies

Scholarship on Galileo has advanced tremendously in recent years. It became obvious that all existing biographies were out-of-date, and a new version was needed that marshaled all of the recent research. Moreover, it needed to condense this mass of information into one volume. Two people stepped up to that impossible task and wrote books that were released within one month of each other: Galileo, Watcher of the Skies by David Wootton, and Galileo by J.L. Heilbron. Wootton's book has been described as the more accessible of the two, so I went with it."Accessible" should by no means equate to "dumbed down." In 37 chapters and 267 pages, Wootton somehow manages to cram as much information about Galileo into the book as possible while maintaining a high level of readability and respect for the reader's intelligence. It quickly becomes apparent that the comic-strip version of the events of Galileo's life that we have inherited are highly strained and misleading at best, or simply grossly wrong at worst. But this is not merely a book setting the facts straight. Wootton has a daring new interpretation of the facts that threads throughout the book. The most controversial of these are the assertions that Galileo converted to Copernicanism much earlier than is popularly imagined; and that he was irreligious -- if not an atheist in the modern sense, then far from the "devout Catholic" that the Church has tried to paint him to be in recent decades. Neither assertion can be proven with hard evidence, but Wootton makes compelling arguments from secondary sources.As for the famous trial in 1633, Wootton confirms the now prevailing opinion that Galileo was "the architect of his own downfall." It would be easy to portray Pope Urban VIII and the Vatican as evil villains, as popular history would have it. It would be easy -- but wrong. Heliocentrism had been condemned as heresy in 1616, but after Urban was named pontiff in 1624 he liberalized the law and allowed Galileo (whom he admired) to write on the subject, with a few caveats. Galileo betrayed that trust. As Wootton shows, Galileo was a brilliant man who was so assured of himself (even when he was wrong, which was frequent), he consistently took huge risks and often alienated friends and allies. "The clash, when it came, was not between an impersonal institution, the universal Church, on the one hand and a dedicated scientist on the other," the author observes. "Rather it was a falling out between friends, a betrayal, a just punishment. Galileo was indeed a heretic; but worse (for heresy was much more common than historians have realized), he was disloyal and ungrateful. In the world of Counter Reformation Italy, heresy often went unpunished; disloyalty and ingratitude, on the other hand, were never tolerated."

We have a certain narrative about Galileo that has become accepted in the West in the last 100 years. While some people have severely downplayed his importance, the majority view is that Galileo is a secular hero along with being one of the greatest minds in the history of science. The most recent contributions to this view are Dava Sobel's book, Galileo's Daughter (which Wootton calls "one of the best books about him") and the NOVA two hour documentary on PBS based on Sobel's book entitled Battle for the Heavens. Nothing David Wootton says in this detailed and lengthy biography contradicts the basic points in that narrative but Galileo comes across as much more complex, considerably less sympathetic, and much more of an opportunist. Playing up the "battle" element greatly oversimplifies both the man and the situations in which he found himself. Wootton's argument is that there is true brilliance at work, but it is deeply embedded in a personality that was not the kind of hero who boldly stands for truth and justice against the evils of the Church. Like certain founders of the computer age, Galileo was not a particularly likable person but, like them, he knew the value and implications of an observation or idea when others did not. Wootton shows many times how Galileo's stubborn arrogance is the reason he got himself into trouble. Wootton does a great job in this book of showing a much less sympathetic but much more fully developed human being.This is primarily an intellectual biography and Wootton shows time and again that Galileo was caught between a real love for the beauty of the mathematical, deductive method and the value of experiment. He avoided real life experiments whenever possible and substituted thought experiments that he thought were clinchers. He may be the founder of experimental science but he was a reluctant one. When he did do experiments such as the ones with inclined planes, he immediately transferred the empirical to the abstract mathematical whole. If there is any one point where Galileo's genius shines through, it was in the ability to grasp the larger mathematical principle from a limited experimental or observational base. He was often right in his intuitive leap to conclusions but not always. At times, as with his theory of tides which was fundamental in his defense of Copernicus, this leap proved wrong. At other times, especially with the basic laws of falling bodies and with his telescopic evidence, he was correct and laid the foundation for the future of science.I highly recommend this book. It is very well-written, paragraphs and concepts are clearly developed, and Wootton weaves elements of Galileo's family life and friends into his intellectual history. It is 268 pages of small font but the chapters tend to be short. I found it unusual that a book with small chapters does not read like it is "chopped up." Quite the opposite I found. It makes a highly detailed book readable and gives a well-rounded understanding of the man. The book is well-worth buying if you want to turn the simplified historical narrative of the "battle" into the rich texture that actually was Galileo's life.

Mr. Wooten's Galileo comes alive early on and keeps the reader's attention. As one reviewer already noted, this is an academic treatment that is truly a page turner. Mr. Wooten uses a topical/thematic approach to chronicling the life of the "first scientist." (Wooten's approach is very similar to Joseph Ellis' little thematic biography of John Adams, Passionate Sage.) Using short, but focused chapters the readers gains an appreciation for Galileo as a man in full; brilliant, visionary, and flawed.Two other excellent reviews are posted, so I'll highlight the portion which truly surprised me. In Galileo's time, reliance on vision/sight was not encouraged. Indeed, Wooten points out the Church followed the example of Thomas in the New Testament where on being confronted with a resurrected Christ did not believe his eyes, and insisted on "touching" as proof. I found this tidbit enlightening, and a marked difference from our age where "seeing is believing."This title was my first exposure to any work of length detailing Galileo's life; but an informative and entertaining introduction!Highly recommended.

Parts of this book were exhaustive, and exhausting. I had trouble keeping track of all of the characters. Apparently the author included every person that Galileo ever met, corresponded with, or thought about. The story also whipsawed through time, like Billy Pilgrim in "Slaughterhouse 5", but with less entertaining effect.The biography I had read just previous to this one, Abigail and John Adams, had a much smoother narrative, and was more accessible to the average reader and amateur history enthusiast like myself.

young people with brilliant eyesight. The print is so small and dense, and the margins so absurdly small that I can't envisage ever being able to get through it. Shockingly disappointing production of what sounds like an excellent book. I am going to ask for a refund.

as advertised

Grande livro explorando a biografia e os grandes insights de Galileu, situando bem o seu lugar de destaque na Ciência moderna. Extremamente erudito. Senti falta de um maior aprofundamento na relação entre Galileu, no momento de sua morte, e Vicenzo Viviane, que certamente é um dos episódios mais comoventes da história da Ciência.

This is an absolutely excellent biography of Galileo.It steers a course straight for the whole man and watchfully deals with the ongoing torrents and eddies coming from centuries of intellectual war and propaganda and allows the real man to appear among a cast of real characters with lives and agendas of their own.One can really believe in this Valileo both scientifically and psychologically,and things are left open enough for no sense of proselytising to be felt.very rare with this subject .I don't think I have ever felt this before with any previous account.

Apart from the ridiculously tiny font, I recommend this book to anyone who's interested in Galileo's life!