Galileo Galilei falls into the category of an extraordinary well-connected scientist known for "blather, bluster, [and] brilliance." Though born into poverty, Galileo was ambitious and brilliant, rising to prominence through his work in mathematics at the University of Pisa. His career broke through with his improvements to the telescope, which allowed him to make astronomical discoveries that gained him royal patronage. However, Galileo's arrogance and confrontational style caused issues, particularly with the Catholic Church when he supported Copernicus' heliocentric theory. Despite initial support from Pope Urban VIII, Galileo's satirical work mocking the Pope led to his condemnation as a heretic and house arrest for the rest of his life

1. Maria Rojas
March 31, 2012
The Heroic Narrative in Science: Galileo
Out of the three types of scientific heroes described in Catherine Milne’s essay
“Philosophically Correct Science Stories? Examining the Implications of Heroic Science Stories
for School Science,” Galileo Galilei falls into the second category: he was an extraordinary well-
connected scientist marked by “blather, bluster, [and] brilliance” (Milne, pg. 185). Yet, this was
not always the case. Galileo had to climb the social ladder of his day through the gradual
development of social connections.
In 1564, Galileo was born to Vincenzo and Guilia Galilei, a family who was constantly in
economic need. His father was a music teacher, but did not earn the desired income and his
mother was often dissatisfied over their quality of life. Yet, this did not deter Galileo from
becoming well known among the scholars of his day. He was brilliant by nature, very ambitious
and outspoken, motivated to succeed (perhaps influenced by his financial situation). In other
words, he had the necessary qualities for becoming famous.
Galileo’s heroic journey begins at the University of Pisa, where he falls in love with
mathematics. His reputation slowly begins to rise, as he is offered the Chair of Mathematics at
University of Pisa, and later as a mathematical professor at the University of Padua. Yet, his true
break (sort of speak) does not come until many years later, when he improves the Dutch
spyglass: the telescope. The improved instrument astonishes many of his contemporaries and he
is recognized as a brilliant genius. He uses his telescope to study astronomy, eventually gaining
the title of “Mathematician” and “Philosopher” under Cosimo de Medici’s patronage.
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2. Yet, Galileo’s success is not only gaining him favoritism and supporters, but he is also
gaining hatred by his enemies. He is a clever intellect and debater to be sure, but his awareness
of it makes him arrogant. He is often caught blustering and sneering at his contemporaries, such
as Kepler, and boasting about himself. Hence, his “blather, bluster, brilliance” heroic style
becomes problematic, especially when confronted by the Catholic Church. In other words, the
social implication of his superb but arrogant heroic style is what causes his downhill.
When Galileo publically supports Copernicus heliocentric theory, several of his followers
support him, like his student Benedetto Castelli. Nevertheless, he is also met with fervent
opposition. As demonstrated in the Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany in 1615,
Galileo generalizes his opposition and overestimates his power as a debater. Galileo claims that
he is met with opposition because: 1) it is a novel and unexpected surprise to some and 2) there
are those who seek to damage his reputation. Then, he goes on and eloquently argues that the
Bible should not be taken literally for there is too much to know. Otherwise, God would have not
given us the ability to think logically. Despite his arguments and efforts, however, the Sacred
Congregation banned the Copernicus theory a year later. If Galileo had been a “regular” and
“humble” type of scientist, perhaps he would have never mentioned the Copernicus theory again.
But then again, he was not. He was brilliant and he loved to bluster.
Galileo continued to argue for the Copernicus theory, and in 1623, he saw a new potential
opportunity: the Catholic Church had appointed Pope Urban VIII. Galileo welcomed such news,
for Pope Urban VIII was an admirer of Galileo’s work (here his brilliancy helped him
tremendously). Galileo was given leniency and authorized to write a book about Copernicus
theory as long as it was in suppositional terms. Yet, Galileo, being smart himself, took advantage
of this authorization to the extreme: he wrote his famous Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief
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3. Systems of the World, a satire mocking the Pope. Galileo genuinely thought he was going to get
supporters, but that was not the case. The character representing the Church and Aristotelian
philosophy was Simplicio, a simple and feeble-minded fellow. On the other hand, Salviati
represented the smart intellectual character (Galileo) that supported the heliocentric theory. The
Catholic Church was obviously outraged, declaring Galileo a heretic. Hence, Galileo’s “blather,
bluster, brilliance” style is what led him to his doom: he died under house arrest.
Galileo’s Legacy
Although Galileo’s heroic style is what made him unpopular towards the end of his life
(and caused him to die miserably), it is precisely his heroic style that makes so him memorable
today. He was a brilliant and strong-headed man, ready to debate and defend his views. As the
book Galileo’s Dream claims, he is considered the first scientist and opened the doors to
innumerous possibilities: that of science itself. It is his mathematical approach to life that led to
the development of the scientific method (that of observation), which no one knows where it will
lead us next…
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4. Works Cited
Milne, Catherine. “Philosophically Correct Science Stories? Examining the Implications of
Heroic Science Stories for School Science.” Journal of Research in Science Teaching
35.2 (1998): 175-187. Web. 27 Feb 2010.
“Modern History Sourcebook: Galileo Galilei: Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of
Tuscany, 1615.” Fordham.edu. 1997. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/galileo-tuscany.asp>.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. Galileo’s Dream. New York: Spectra Books, 2010. Print.
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