Comments on: In Related News, the Pope Criticised Badly Drawn Boy for Having a Silly Hat

By: Pages tagged "badly drawn boy"

Pages tagged "badly drawn boy" — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:25:42 +0000

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By: Danny

Danny — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:36:34 +0000

… and the text is here: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/01/thought_for_the_pod_galileo_v.html

By: Danny

Danny — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:12:55 +0000

There’s something on this in the most recent Guardian Science Weekly Podcast (28th January 2008), about 23 minutes in.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/01/science_weekly_for_january_28.html

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:15:09 +0000

Yes — I’m given to understand the main reason Galileo was tried at all was because the he wanted the Pope to make a decision about which model of the solar system was correct, and taking a position too early leaves open the possibility of being wrong, and the Church couldn’t take that risk.

By: Danny

Danny — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 11:40:52 +0000

It would have been far more interesting for Ratzinger to discuss the ways in which Galileo and Barberini fell out, and how the search for truth (which had been in some sense a joint effort between the church and scholars up until this point) was knackered by what seems like a clash of personalities. Scientists are of course interested in the ways that personal judgement interacts with empirical data - bias needs to be identified and controlled for - but the church doesn’t have an objective reality to go to for data so it’s all based on subjective ideas or “revealed truth” as they call it.

It seems like the church needs to go to a lot of lengths to avoid admitting that the pope is generally just an old bloke with no real knowledge of anything apart from the rules of some arcane game called catholicism, and his opinion therefore isn’t really worth particularly bothering with.

By: BobP

BobP — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 11:02:57 +0000

Quote “Damn those dogmatic astronomers”
Actually I think Galileo probably was officially damned, and his immortal soul is currently undergoing nameless tortures in one of the nether circles of Hell.
Does anyone know if the Church has officially recanted and forgiven him?

By: Paul Crowley

Paul Crowley — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:04:17 +0000

It’s a bit like saying “you can’t prove π doesn’t equal four without checking every decimal place”

Thank you. I will remember that exact phrase should I hear this argument where I can reply…