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A Polish astronomer, Nicolaus [[Copernicus]] (1473-1543), published a model of the solar system ''De Revolutionibus'' in 1543, in which the earth and other planets circled the sun. The Catholic Church endorsed the book. The book’s preface (which was not written by Copernicus) argued that astronomical models have merit if they correctly predict observations, even if the underlying hypotheses cannot be proved.<ref>On the Revolutions, English translation. [http://webexhibits.org/calendars/year-text-Copernicus.html]</ref> The scientific evidence was inconclusive.

A Polish astronomer, Nicolaus [[Copernicus]] (1473-1543), published a model of the solar system ''De Revolutionibus'' in 1543, in which the earth and other planets circled the sun. The Catholic Church endorsed the book. The book’s preface (which was not written by Copernicus) argued that astronomical models have merit if they correctly predict observations, even if the underlying hypotheses cannot be proved.<ref>On the Revolutions, English translation. [http://webexhibits.org/calendars/year-text-Copernicus.html]</ref> The scientific evidence was inconclusive.

However, ancient Greek thought was idolized since it was re-discovered several hundred years before, being viewed almost on par with the [[Bible]] itself. The Ptolemaic system was the prevailing view at the time. Initially it was not the theologians who balked at Galileo's ideas, but rather mathematicians at the University of Pisa who were so outraged that he challenged Aristotle that they refused to even look through his telescope at the stars. Galileo wrote a privately-circulated pamphlet which argued that the Bible should be interpreted in the light of increasing knowledge, and warning that scientific opinion should not be treated as an article of faith.  In this way he matched the great church father [[Saint Augustine]].  Quoting another of the early church fathers Galileo wrote <blockquote>"the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes."</blockquote>

However, ancient Greek thought was idolized since it was re-discovered several hundred years before, being viewed almost on par with the [[Bible]] itself. The Ptolemaic system was the prevailing view at the time. Initially it was not the theologians who balked at Galileo's ideas, but rather mathematicians at the University of Pisa who were so outraged that he challenged Aristotle that they refused to even look through his telescope at the stars. Galileo wrote a privately-circulated pamphlet which argued that the Bible should be interpreted in the light of increasing knowledge, and warning that scientific opinion should not be treated as an article of faith.  In this way he matched the great church father [[Saint Augustine]].  Quoting another of the early church fathers Galileo wrote <blockquote>''The intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes.''</blockquote>

In 1613 a Dominican friar, Tommaso Caccini, got a hold of Galileo's writing and preached a sermon against him. A mangled version of Galileo's writing was sent to Rome.  Galileo heard of this and sent the full version.  He was not terribly alarmed, knowing that many of the best minds in Italy, including the Vatican's mathematicians, were convinced on the heliocentric universe that his works had help to substantiate.  Caccini's Dominican superior was so embarrassed that he sent a letter of apology to Galileo.

In 1613 a Dominican friar, Tommaso Caccini, got a hold of Galileo's writing and preached a sermon against him. A mangled version of Galileo's writing was sent to Rome.  Galileo heard of this and sent the full version.  He was not terribly alarmed, knowing that many of the best minds in Italy, including the Vatican's mathematicians, were convinced on the heliocentric universe that his works had help to substantiate.  Caccini's Dominican superior was so embarrassed that he sent a letter of apology to Galileo.

Caccini wasn't through, however, and gave an unsolicited deposition to the Inquisition about Galileo's views, which largely demonstrated his own ignorance on the subject.  Nevertheless, the theologians who were given the case ruled in a manner that was not pleasing to Galileo when it was handed down. Galileo was told by the Inquisition that he must only use Copernican concepts as a hypothesis for the sake of calculation, without claiming that they had been literally proven true. Because Galileo had overstated the scientific case for the heliocentric theory and given some dubious theological arguments, the Inquisition ruling decided that 1) the immobility of the Sun at the center of the universe was absurd in philosophy and formally heretical, and that 2) the mobility of Earth was absurd in philosophy and at least erroneous in theology. <ref> http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/galileo.html </ref> The following month the Church’s [[Index of Forbidden Books]] required that nine sentences in Copernicus's book be corrected.  

Caccini wasn't through, however, and gave an unsolicited deposition to the Inquisition about Galileo's views, which largely demonstrated his own ignorance on the subject.  Nevertheless, the theologians who were given the case ruled in a manner that was not pleasing to Galileo when it was handed down. Galileo was told by the Inquisition that he must only use Copernican concepts as a hypothesis for the sake of calculation, without claiming that they had been literally proven true. Because Galileo had overstated the scientific case for the heliocentric theory and given some dubious theological arguments, the Inquisition ruling decided that 1) the immobility of the Sun at the center of the universe was absurd in philosophy and formally heretical, and that 2) the mobility of Earth was absurd in philosophy and at least erroneous in theology. <ref> http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/galileo.html </ref> The following month the Church’s [[Index of Forbidden Books]] required that nine sentences in Copernicus's book be corrected.  

Looking back in hindsight it is hard to understand the decision, but in defense of the arbitors of that time, the view through Galileo's telescope was nothing like the quality of telescopes today.  To untrained laymen, it would be difficult to know what was being viewed.  Also, the concept of stellar parallax, a condition that had to exist if Galileo was right, turned out to be completely false. (Parallax is real, but due to the incredibly far distances of the stars in relationship to the earth's movement around the sun, it could not be detected until 1838, over 200 years later.)  

Looking back in hindsight it is hard to understand the decision, but in defense of the arbitors of that time, the view through Galileo's telescope was nothing like the quality of telescopes today.  To untrained laymen, it would be difficult to know what was being viewed.  Also, the concept of stellar parallax, a condition that had to exist if Galileo was right, turned out to be completely false. (Parallax is real, but due to the incredibly far distances of the stars in relationship to the earth's movement around the sun, it could not be detected until 1838, over 200 years later.)

== Using the principle of falsifiability to improve the scientific method ==

== Using the principle of falsifiability to improve the scientific method ==