In a startling reinterpretation of the evidence, Stillman Drake advances the hypothesis that Galileo's trial and condemnation by the Inquisition was caused not by his defiance of the Church, but by the hostility of contemporary philosophers.
'stimulating and very convincing.' Theology
List of illustrations; Introduction; 1. The background; 2. Galileo's early years; 3. Conflicts with philosophers; 4. Conflicts with astronomers and theologians; 5. The Dialogue and the Inquisition; 6. The final years; Reading list; Index
"An interesting and stimulating introduction to the life and works of Galileo by the doyen of Galilean studies. The author studies the interplay of mathematical reasoning and physical experimentation in the genesis of the law of free fall and in the employment of Galileo's methodology."--Mathematical Reviews