Lexicon of Arguments

 

I 206
Rationality/Reason/Science/Theory/Feyerabend: in the time of Galileo the church stuck much more closely to reason than Galileo did himself, and it also considered the ethical and social consequences of the Galilean teachings. Its judgment against Galileo was rational and just, and its revision can only be justified in a politically opportunist way.
I 212
Church/Galileo/Feyerabend: the church was by no means dogmatic. It did not say: what is contrary to the Bible, as we understand it, is false. It did not push aside scientific truths, but they were rather used to review traditional conceptions about the meaning of certain passages from the Bible. For example, there are many passages where the earth is clearly described as flat. Nevertheless, the conception of the sphericity of the earth was an integral part of the Church's teachers from the eleventh century on.
The church, however, wanted precise evidence, not vague assumptions (e.g. poor observations with the telescope). Therefore, Galileo was forbidden in the process to present the Copernican doctrine as truth! But he was allowed to use it as a hypothesis!
I 214
Galileo/Feyerabend: Galieo had only contempt for people who could not rise to the fine regions of mathematical thought with him: "the uneducated mob." He appears less open-minded than the Church.
Cardinal Bellarmine/Feyerabend: one must be very careful about authors who claim that the sun is in the center. Perhaps we do not understand them.
I 217
Duhem/Feyerabend: logic was on the side of Cardinal Bellarmine and not on the side of Galileo. Only the former had understood the experimental method.
I 218
Church/Galileo/Feyerabend: the church was probably right to point out that the "uneducated mob", which also consists of people, should not be disturbed by unfounded claims.
Press/Public: even today, press releases without evidence are considered a mortal sin. Against such an approach modern science reacts with the sharpest tools available to it.
>G. Galilei.