Free Response Essay Number 1, except better

  "Why are the trials and tribulations of Galileo often considered both predicative of the future of Western Civilization as well as a perfect encapsulation of the context of his own time?"

In the 16th and 17th centuries, a scientific revolution took place in Europe. Galileo Galilee, one of the scientists at the time is now sometimes referred to as 'the father of science,' but was not always regarded quite as well. Galileo was put on trial and the cardinals of the catholic church said that Galileo was "suspected of heresy" and he was condemned to be put under house arrest for the rest of his life. The view of the authorities during the scientific revolution are astoundingly different from our views today. In fact, they only restricted Galileo and his research because of fear. They feared loss of power or control, because the ideas that Galileo came up with, that we now know to be true, were too radical for the church, and they questioned their teachings. If the authorities of the 16th and 17th centuries had not feared and questioned Galileo's ideas, such as heliocentrism, he would have had so much more freedom to make discoveries without having to keep an eye on the thoughts of the church, and had he had more adequate equipment available, the entire course of life, even up to today, would have been changed from the brilliance of Galileo.

The time in which Galileo lived was one that was very difficult in which to stray from the norm. The church and government had the control over the people, and were very strict judges of what the people did. As one can then imagine, scientific research was a very controversial subject. Many things researched in the scientific field were against what the church taught, and therefore against the government as well. When Galileo went against the church's teachings and taught his ideas to others, the church feared that people would believe it. If people did in fact believe, the church would be at risk of losing power. For example, Galileo came up with the idea of heliocentrism, meaning that the sun is the center of the universe. It had previously been thought that the sun revolved around the Earth. When the church heard this, that was the final straw and they accused Galileo of being a heretic and he was sentenced to house arrest for the remainder of his life. It is apparent that if Galileo wanted to continue to be permitted to perform his research, he had to be cautious of the authority's watchful eye.

Other restriction's on Galileo's work included the tools and techniques available at that time. In modern times there is much more developed machinery, capable of doing so much more than what was even imagined in the time of Galileo. His brilliant mind, had it been born into this century, would be able to do so much with these advances. If he was able to use the meager resources he had to create things that we still use today, then imagine what he would have been able to do with all of the amazing equipment available now? He would make even more mountain moving discoveries. Galileo, in fact, was one of the people of his time that created unheard of tools. He created the telescope, a device still used by scientists and astronomers everywhere. Not only is it used by all of these people, but it is a basic, everyday thing to us now. It is strange to think that something so outlandish in the old days is just the norm for people today.

When one thinks of the time in which Galileo lived, they feel as though they cannot relate to it at all. Old times, old people, old ways; that has nothing to do with them, right? This is what most people believe, and while it is true that times have much changed since then, it is not as much as they think. Things that people did back then is the foundation of life for humanity today. Galileo is just one example of the past affecting the present, and if perhaps he had simply lived in another time period or country his restrictions would be gone and humans would know so much more today.

Galileo wasn't called the "Father of Science" for nothing. He mattered a lot, and in fact, he was one of the most important people in the scientific revolution. He was the father, the creator of what humans build upon today, what humans continue to create from. Galileo is an incredible example of something old and new at the same time. His work and ways showcased the thoughts and beliefs of people in his time period, but also showed the future. If he had been given the chance to work with the technology today and live in this world with lots more freedom, he would still just be making unfathomable discoveries that would serve as the groundwork for the generations of the future.