Today Galileo is justly celebrated as a champion of experiment and observation. He vindicated Copernicus’s view of the heliocentric solar system, but he had to confront the Catholic Church's anti-Copernican views. Short readings from Bertold Brecht’s play “The Life of Galileo” portray the conflict of his forceful advocacy of observation with more pragmatic concerns. In between, we will consider implications of Galileo’s approach to science and truth, his relationship with the Catholic Church, and his influence on modern intellectual and cultural life. Barry Kraft, Jefferson center member, local actor, and Shakespeare scholar, will join us for the discussion, and direct the play reading.

The event is part of the Salon series of The Jefferson Center, a Rogue Valley non-profit focused on critical thinking, using secular humanist values to understand and engage with issues important to our community. See http://www.thejeffcenter.org for more details on this and other events.