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Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society, Seventh Edition
Marvin Perry, Baruch College, City University of New York, Emeritus
et al.
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| | Using Primary Sources
Chapter 17: The Scientific Revolution
Reason on Trial- Copernicus took a huge step toward the demolition of the medieval vision of the universe by moving the sun to the center of the solar system. However, he retained significant elements of the Ptolomaic system. He believed in the existence of crystalline spheres and, most important, he maintained a strict division between earth and the heavens. Earth was a place of change, corruption, and imperfection. The heavens were changeless, pure, and perfect. Galileo challenged these basic assumptions, positing a universe in which all matter obeyed the same laws. Reexamine the excerpt from Galileo's The Starry Messenger and his sketches of the phases of the moon on page 415. When you're done, write a short essay explaining the significance of Galileo's insights. What did he accomplish? What was left undone? Why was he so threatening to church authorities?
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