Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist and astronomer, discovered that the Sun was at the center of the universe and that the Earth orbited on an axis around it. Because his beliefs and research went against the common belief that the universe was geocentric, he was criticized and forced to recant his beliefs. It was the Roman Catholic Church who made him recant his beliefs because the Church did not want any opposition that may weaken the power and influence they had over the people at that time. Reluctantly, Galileo did recant his beliefs and in retrospect many people have criticized him to be a heretic because of his opposition to the church and his level of confidence and pride in his work. However, closely examining and dissecting the words of Galileo himself and his actions, it is clear that he was a scientific martyr who was only interested in the truth. Firstly, Galileo is not a heretic because he signed the recan