Galileo Essays - Copernican Revolution, Galileo Affair,

Galileo Galileo Galilei was one of the most influential men of the Renaissance. He was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, inventor, and among other things he was a philosopher. He integrated the independent sciences of math and physics, and unified them. The popular view of the public at the time was Aristotle's theory that the Earth is the center of the universe. Galileo stood against that common view and declared to the world that the Earth is not the center. This concept that humans are only a microscopic speck in a boundless universe and are not the center of it frightened many religious leaders. The use of a tool to study the skies was an extreme influence on his position of Copernicus's theory. He was the first to examine space through a functional telescope. From this he condoned Copernicus's theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Galileo inflamed several scholars and religious leaders with this ludicrous theory. He obtained approval by the Pope, who was an acquaintance of Galileo, to write about Ptolemy and Copernicus and their concepts of the universe. Galileo was not authorized to account for either principle, for no man can judge how the world is made. In 1632 Galileo introduced his new book to the world which did in fact support the theory of Copernicus, the Earth revolves around the Sun. When the Pope discovered this, he was outraged and instructed a prosecution. The church was afraid to accept his discovery because it would prove that humans are not the central focus and might not be that important in the whole scheme of things. He was forced to recant his statements on his discovery. He did not want to return to a dungeon, so Galileo eventually renounced his theory. His license to write was confiscated and Galileo was ordered to house arrest. There Galileo wrote another book, and discovered numerous ot her things before he perished in 1642 at the age of seventy-seven. Galileo's impact on the beliefs of thousands of people was catastrophic. His ideas generated a persuasive movement of people's feelings on the universe. Galileo feared how people would retaliate to the truth about the universe, since it was contradicting the Bible. He went as far as visiting Rome to plead for the leaders to grant people an opportunity to change their views. Instead the Roman authorities acknowledged the Copernicus writings as false and erroneous. Galileo and Copernicus were both accurate with their theories, and the universal belief that the Earth is the center of the universe will never be the same again. They revolutionized the beliefs of many people. It was difficult for society to grasp as they have only been taught that the Earth is the center and man cannot question it. Galileo completely went against the belief of the church, and proved them wrong. He could have been seen as a nemesis or as a hero. He didn't wish to be either, but he instead just wanted the tr uth to be known. History Essays

The MoLAA essays

The MoLAA essays During our last visit to the Museum of Latin American Art, we had the chance to explore a brief part of Central and South American Art. As we approached the gate that divided the street from the museum property, we saw a couple of flags indicating the entrance to the lot. When we entered the parking lot, we noticed that, even though the time was definitely not the best for going for a tour in a museum, there were a lot of cars. The building that constituted the museum was very modest and it could be easily confounded with the surrounding ones. When I entered the perimeter of the building, I had four choices: the first was to enter the restaurant, which was actually almost external to the museum; the second to get in the gift-shop, the third to go into the little working place for children, and last, but not least, to enter the actual museum straight ahead through a short and wide corridor. As one gets to the end of the corridor, the entrance is delimitated by a small table which is barely noticeable from the entrance. Behind the table there is a wide room with all the new acquisitions. This presentation itself anticipates the theme through the show of Diego Riveras political paintings. In fact, he has the ability to turn familiar images into Art. On our left, we could get into a room containing the works of George Marà ¬n, a Mexican artist from Urapan. On the right we could enter the actual exhibition. The first series of paintings was from Mexico. In the middle of the corridor, there is a map of Central and South American countries on one side, while on the other, a large doorway gave an overview to the core of the museum. The rest of the museum was arranged very casually, in such a way, though, in which one could understand easily the differences of the different countries. In the special exhibition, the images were very disturbing and unique with a very sad tone. There was definitely a reference to the Carnival, where ...