By Rolf Lindgren
On June 22, 1633 Galileo was made to recant his view that the earth moves around the sun. This marks a dark day in the history of big government. But many people know few details of the Trial of Galileo.
Who was Galileo?
Galileo is one of the most important people of all time. His invention of the scientific method launched the Scientific Revolution. His pioneering of the telescope & discovery of the moons of Jupiter revolutionized astronomy. His discovery of the law of falling bodies revolutionized physics.
Galileo was born in 1564, at about the time the Council of Trent set down church doctrines in opposition to the Reformation. In 1610, Galileo published one of the most sensational pamphlets in history titled The Starry Messenger. It described his invention of a telescope and discovery of the moons of Jupiter, and many other wonders. Galileo became instantly famous, so famous that he was even known in China. But Galileo's discoveries soon led him into opposition with church doctrine, and in 1616 a decree was filed against him. Although Galileo kept speaking and writing, he steered clear of the law until 1632 when he published his fabled book The Dialogue of Two Chief World Systems. In this book, Galileo demonstrated that the earth moves around the sun.
In 1633 Galileo was arrested for writing his book even though the government had read the book beforehand and licensed it. One beef was that the preface was in the wrong font. In the middle of his trial Galileo proved he was innocent. Outraged, the government threw out the original charges and filed new, more serious charges! This type of obvious irregularity also happened in the trial of Jesus, you may recall.
Galileo's trial was a travesty of justice and became one of the most infamous examples of big government stomping on individual liberty the world has ever known. All of our Founding Fathers knew about Galileo and what happened to him.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence he thought of Galileo. When James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights he thought of Galileo. The Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution were built on the shoulders of the ideas of Galileo. Everyone should learn about Galileo as a guide to the truth, and as a warning of what can happen to liberty.
Today, we see anti-truth and anti-liberty forces moving to stop President Donald Trump.
I will be speaking at Pints & Politics on the Trial of Galileo on Tuesday, September 5, at Babes Restaurant on 5614 Schroeder Road in Madison. The event begins at 5:30 pm and is open to the public.