Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Excerpt from Pioneers of Progress: Men of Science; Galileo
N ow Vincenzio himself, as shown in his writings on musical theory, had a rooted objection to taking things on trust, so it is not surprising that Galileo found him self continually at issue with his teachers in philosophy, and thus early struck the keynote of his stormy career. What passed for philosophy in those days had degenerated almost entirely into blind repetition of the statements and doctrines of ancient philosophers, and particularly of Aristotle. But Aristotle and the Greek philosophers generally were not accustomed to put their highly speen lative theories to the test of actual experiment, however easy and obvious such experiment might be. They contented themselves with discussions as to what ought to happen according to their preconceived notions of physical laws, rarely attempting to see what does actu ally happen. Galileo's mind worked in a very different way, and refused to bind or blind itself in such a manner, so he promptly questioned what appeared to be doubtful statements and did not hesitate to contradict if he felt he had a clear case against them. He soon gained such notoriety, in this way that he was nicknamed the Wrangler by his fellow-students, and heartily disliked by the pro fessors, who were not only sticklers for tradition, but probably found it less troublesome to rely on memory than on intelligence.
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