Galileo Alternative Trial Options

Mat Walter

Mrs. Hibner

Gifted Workshop 9/10

24 February 2006

Galileo Galilei Trial Proposal

The trial of Galileo Galilei could be one of the most famous in history. The Church's actions and verdict are very controversial, but what other options did they have? Could the situation have been avoided at all? There are numerous ways Galileo could have been dealt with, and it is arguable that they would have been much more effective.

One way the Church could have gone about Galileo's punishment was by not putting him on trial at all, but rather excommunicating him from the Roman Catholic Church. Even though this would not prevent the publishing of Galileo's theories, it would be an easy, safe solution to the problem. Because of his association with Catholicism, Galileo was accused of heresy. If he were to be excommunicated, he would no longer be tied to religion and his work would no longer be considered religious views or a threat for that matter. The only reason Galileo's work was controversial was because he was a Roman Catholic and not permitted to believe in his own ideas. In severing his relationships with the pope and the Church, the Church could then denounce all his ideas as atheistic beliefs and have no further problems. This would also have had no ill affects as far as the Church's reputation and popularity were concerned because these two factors played major roles in his actual sentence.

Along with excommunication, the Church could have tried Galileo for heresy and sent him to death. By doing this, they would have completely eradicated the source of the problem. With Galileo ceasing to exist, the Church would no long have to worry about any of the controversy surrounding his findings. As a bonus, the Church would also be setting an example of their dealings with heretics causing the public to avoid any further anti-Catholic reasoning. This would have been by far the most effective tactic. However, there would be the chance of upsetting the general public. Since the Church was basically a religious monarchy at the time, they could not afford to take the risk of an uprising because of their actions. Therefore, they settled for the next best solution they could think of which was house arrest.

Another