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[[Image:Galileo.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Galileo Galilei: Subterman's portrait, circa 1640]]

[[Image:Galileo.jpg|right|thumb|200px|'''Galileo Galilei'''<br> Subterman's portrait, circa 1640]]

'''Galileo Galilei''' (1564-1642), often referred to simply as '''Galileo''', was an [[Italy|Italian]] [[physicist]] and [[astronomer]] who improved the [[telescope]], contributed to the field of [[mechanical]] [[physics]], proposed the [[heliocentrism|heliocentric]] model of [[Copernicus]] as the accurate universal model, and later in life had a famous dispute with the [[Catholic Church]].

'''Galileo Galilei''' (1564-1642), often referred to simply as '''Galileo''', was an [[Italy|Italian]] [[physicist]] and [[astronomer]] who improved the [[telescope]], contributed to the field of [[mechanical]] [[physics]], proposed the [[heliocentrism|heliocentric]] model of [[Copernicus]] as the accurate universal model, and later in life had a famous dispute with the [[Catholic Church]].

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 ''[[University of Cambridge]], Department of History and Philosophy of Science'' - Galileo Galilei]</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 ''[[University of Cambridge]], Department of History and Philosophy of Science'' - Galileo Galilei]</ref> The following month the Church’s [[Index of Forbidden Books]] required that nine sentences in Copernicus's book be corrected.  

Looking back, 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, it is hard to understand the decision, but in defense of the arbiters 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 ==