Descartes and Galileo
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Descartes changed the relationship between science and religion by establishing a new philosophical foundation for knowledge. He argued that senses and mathematics could not be fully trusted, but that the existence of a perfect God meant our senses could be generally relied upon. This allowed scientists like Galileo to make discoveries using tools like telescopes without fear of contradicting religious authorities. Descartes' approach helped reconcile Catholicism with emerging scientific findings and established a model for rational inquiry that still influences perspectives today.
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Descartes and Galileo
- 1. Moons, Dreams and GodHow Descartes changed the relation between science and religion in our society
- 2. Tension Between Two World-ViewsFor centuries, most people had believed in the Ptolemaic view of the universe:Hey, what’s that funny little “epicycle” doing there?Ptolemy
- 3. Tension Between Two World-ViewsBut then, Copernicus persuaded many scientists of a heliocentric model:Look familiar?Copernicus
- 4. The Faculty of TheologyThe Sorbonne was then (and still is) the most famous university in Continental EuropeTheir theology faculty dominated the thinking of the Catholic Church at the time. And they were not happy with Copernicus.
- 5. What’s the big deal?Theologians had long taught that the Garden of Eden was the center of all creation, making the whole Universe a stage for the story of the human drama to unfold.HEAVENSSKYEARTHLooks like Ptolemy’s model!
- 6. They thought it seemed obvious to the eyeNote that the only thing we can all easily *see* orbiting, without a telescope, is our own Moon – and it clearly goes around the Earth!
- 7. They thought it seemed obvious from scriptureConsider this verse: "He sits upon the circle of the earth" – Isaiah 30If Earth is God’s seat, then it must be the center of the Universe – for how could the center be elsewhere than where God sits?!
- 8. The conclusion seemed obvious…. Copernicus had to be out of his mind.Case closed!(or so it seemed)
- 9. How Galileo messed this upGalileo is often credited with “inventing the telescope.”He really didn’t make the first telescope.But he made the first one that worked really well!Isn’t it beautiful!Galileo
- 10. How Galileo messed this upGalileo had made the first telescope powerful enough to see moons of other planets.He saw three moons orbiting Jupiter!!!Ce ne sonotre!
- 11. Here’s (sort of) what happens nextSee, if Jupiter has moons, then not everything is orbiting Earth! So Galileo has disproven the Ptolemaic view – a view that the theology teachers at the Sorbonne hold dear. They’re not happy.
- 12. Meanwhile, Descartes invents coordinate GeometryIn your math class you probably have plotted X-Y coordinates. Descartes invented that stuff. He wanted to use it to plot precise orbits for the planets that Copernicus and Galileo had shown were orbiting the Sun.The Young Descartes
- 13. Descartes hears startling news about GalileoAs Descartes is about to publish his book called “The World” wherein he will use geometry to support Galileo, he hears that Galileo has been threatened with death at the stake…..Galileo saves himself by recanting.Still, it scares the living daylights out of Descartes!YOU”RE RIGHT. MY EYES MUST HAVE BLURRED.GALILEO, I DON’T SEE ANY MOONS. SURELY YOU WERE MISTAKEN BEFORE.GOOD TO KNOW.
- 14. Change of plans!Descartes runs to his publisher and halts publication of The World. Instead he will write a different book, Meditations on First Philosophy. Calling it “First Philosophy” means it will address the most basic foundations of human knowledge. He will talk about how human knowledge is built from the ground up.Descartes is a devout Catholic. He thinks it’s time to set the relationship between Religion and Science right. He can do this in the new book.
- 15. Descartes’ argumentYou can’t trust your senses to be the foundation of all knowledge (This was a welcome thought to the theologians)You can’t even trust mathematics, either (kind of surprising, coming from a Mathematician!)But there is still one thing you can trust (we’ll get to that later).
- 16. Why can’t you trust your senses?First, because we all know there are illusions sometimes(the photo at right is not doctored in any way – it’s hand-painted graffiti)
- 17. Why can’t you trust your senses?Second, because anything my senses can perceive, I could be dreaming.Go ahead, try to prove you are not dreaming right now! I dare you.
- 18. Why can’t you trust your senses?Third, because there’s something not captured in all of our sense perceptions about objectsThis is the famous “Wax Argument”
- 19. The Wax ArgumentBefore heating: "the scent of the flowers from which it was collected. Its color, shape, and size are manifest“ Upon heating: "the scent is vanishing; the color is changing; the original shape is disappearing"
- 20. The Wax ArgumentSince we know it is still wax, and that it is the same wax, after it is totally melted – despite that all sense information is different , therefore it must be because of our mind, and not the senses, that we can recognize objects.
- 21. What about Mathematics?Okay, so our senses cannot be the basis of all knowledge – but what about obvious mathematical truths? + = Right?A square cannot have more than four sides, right? 1 2 3
- 22. Enter “The Evil Genius”What if instead of God, there was an Evil Genius, who created my mind in such a way that it would be constantly in error (just for his sheer sadistic entertainment)?
- 23. There’s just one thing that is beyond doubt There’s just one thing that even the Evil Genius (if he exists) could not possibly deceive me about: “I think, therefore I am”With this, Descartes established the basis of personal identity for each of us as “I am a thinking being.”Cogito, ergo sum
- 24. “But what am I then?” "But what am I then? A thinking being. What is a thinking being? A being which doubts, which understands, which conceives, which affirms, which denies, which wills, which rejects, which imagines also, and which perceives."
- 25. He’s almost done…Once I know that I am a thinking being, I can examine my thoughts to see if any of them can prove itself to be undoubtableDescartes finds in his head one such thought: that of a perfect beingCATS? NO. DOGS? NO. MY HAND? NO. 2+3=5? HOW CAN I BE SURE?WAIT , I’VE GOT IT: A PERFECT BEING!
- 26. A Perfect BeingAccording to Descartes, I could not have gotten the idea of a perfect being, unless that idea had been put in my head by a perfect being (I know, this argument seems shaky somehow, but the theology faculty at the Sorbonne liked it)
- 27. And now the world is safe for scientists to do scienceSince an all-loving, all-powerful God would never let my senses systematically deceive me, then that means I can generally trust my sensesAnd that means I can trust what I see IN A TELESCOPEHey, it wasn’t easy!For the love of God, you finally got them there! Galileo Descartes
- 28. The rest of the storyAlthough Galileo stayed under house arrest for the rest of his life…..And although Descartes’ books were placed on a “forbidden list” for a while….. FORBIDDEN!
- 29. The rest of the storyNonetheless, theology professors in the Church realized Descartes had proven it’s not a contradiction to be a “Catholic scientist” People realized that trust in God’s perfection meant trusting the senses God has given us, and that means trusting whatever we should find using those senses.
- 30. The story continuesThe Catholic Church has not had a major conflict with science since the time of Descartes and Galileo Pope John Paul II even recognized that the Theory of Evolution has meritThat’s not the case with the Evangelicals, however. Are they still waiting for their Descartes?