Copernicus, Galileo, and Free Speech -- There Are Lessons Here

At the Galileo Museum in Florence.

What do you do if you're an outlier, ahead of the curve on a matter of historical or social significance? Or someone who has made a discovery that goes against public opinion?

When Copernicus observed and then proved that the earth went around the sun, and not vice versa, he only published this revelation at the end of his life. Had there been freedom of speech, accompanied by free thought and free inquiry, the "Copernican revolution" may have begun much earlier.

Galileo paid a price for his inquiries into how the universe works. His 1633 imprisonment was primarily due to his support for the heliocentric model of the solar system--that sun was the center of our solar system--which contradicted the geocentric model endorsed by the Church at the time. Galileo's advocacy for the ideas proposed by Copernicus, challenged the prevailing religious and scientific beliefs of the era. He was found guilty of heresy by the Roman Catholic Church and was placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life.

Today this power to elevate or destroy careers is no longer wielded by the Church. It belongs to the State and the mob. Free speech without repercussions appears to remain an unattainable ideal, like Quixote's impossible dream. 

These "Throwback Thursday" thoughts came to mind as I reflected again on Ibsen's Enemy of the People.