William R. Shea

This book deals with the different interpretations that have been given to the 'Galileo Affair' in the 19th and 20th century. By critically scrutinizing various biographies of Galileo the authors show how personal views will always influence historical research. Not only old myths (Galileo as a martyr of science) are dispelled, new theories (Galileo Courtier, Galileo Heretic) are also investigated and adjusted.
The book has an apologetic feeling about it; though most of the demystifications are valid, some are far-fetched. The authors seem to be aware that Bertold Brechts marxist play 'Life of Galileo' was never intended as a historically accurate representation, but they still subject it to the same critical procedure (over-justifying this repeatedly). Biagioli's 'Galileo Courtier', which shows that Galileo was as much a social climber as he was a scientist, is criticised on the grounds that it only focuses on the social aspects - which is precisely what Biagioli was doing: developing an underappreciated side of the story without claiming to tell the whole story.… (more)