Galileo: a man on a missionIn 1632 Galileo Galilei published his book "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World". As innocent as it may seem, the implications associated with the book's publication were soon apparent. In the period preceding the book's publication, Galileo had been warned several times by the Catholic Church not to publish it. The book was a fictional dialogue between three men, the purpose of which was to discuss two theories of planetary motion. The theory supported by Galileo was considered heretical by the Church and he was told several times that the publication of the book would have disastrous consequences. His pride, his impulsive nature, his arrogance and his love for science influenced Galileo's decision. Galileo was a scientific genius, but he was also a human being. He was too proud to compromise his beliefs under any circumstances. Before we can analyze this decision, we need to understand exactly what the book contained. The idea behind the book was to demonstrate the superiority and validity of the Copernican model of the Solar System over the Ptolemaic model of the Solar System. The Ptolemaic system was a model of the solar system in which the planets, the sun, and all other objects in the universe revolve around the Earth. This system was supported by Aristotle and coincided with Holy Scripture, and therefore was supported by the Church. On the other hand, the Copernican model of the solar system was the basis of the system we use today. It stated that all objects in the universe, including the Earth, revolve around the sun. This idea was what caused problems with the Church. The theory that the Earth was not the center of the universe directly contradicted Holy Scripture. This was the foundation on which the Church based its threats against Galileo. Before we can truly understand the significance of this decision, we must also understand the climate of the times in which his book was published. Europe was in the midst of a break from the old way of thinking towards a new, increasingly scientific way of seeing the world and society. Up until that point, Europe had been in what we call the “Age of Faith”. This time period was characterized by a strong belief in the Church and religion. Although still a major force in people's lives, religion and philosophy had been in steady decline since the beginning of the Renaissance, when the "Age of Exploration" began."..