Physics Colloquium 2025-26: talk 8

Galileo, Science, and the Church

Steven Baldner (StFX Philosophy Department)

The infamous Galileo case is thought by many to be the paradigm of the alleged conflict between science and religion. In this lecture I’ll examine the evidence in this case from history, science, and theology. I will show that there were serious but preventable mistakes both on the side of the Church and also on Galileo’s part. The condemnation of 1633 would not have happened if Church authorities were more attentive to their own theology, and if Galileo were more modest about his actual scientific achievements. The condemnation was wrong, but it was not an instance of opposition between religion and science.