From Galileo to Augustine

Abstract

Posuit Deus omnia in numero, pondere et mensura Galileo, EN, vol. 4, 52 In this essay, I will examine the relationship between Galileo's physics and his theology, focusing primarily on the latter. It is not my intention to minimize his commitment to physics - quite the contrary. But Galileo's interest in theology might seem remote given the secular status held by science today and, as a result, it would be tempting to dismiss theology as a textual relic corresponding to a fideistic atavism that is no longer present. However, it is precisely this secular perception of history that forces us to consider cultural relics of this sort. Several recent studies of Galileo have tended to present his religious beliefs in one of two ways: as reflecting genuine piety and devotion to the Church or else as grounded in Baroque-court rhetoric and compliance with the Church's position. Otherwise, because of his Copernican campaign and trial, Galileo has also been included in the group of other theologically minded scientists such as Descartes, Boyle, and Newton – not to mention Pascal or Leibniz. Compared to these figures, Galileo's theological concerns appear as self-defense in the struggle between Copernican astronomy and biblical exegesis and completely separate from his physics.