1. Life of Galileo
CONTEXT STUDY 2015

2. Scene 1 – Padua

3. Question 1
Why “have people believed the sun and all the stars of heaven rotate around mankind?”
People have believed that because in the morning the sun is to there left and in the evening it is to their right, the only explanation is that the sun is moving around them. People have even made models of the solar system where the earth sits in the middle and all the stars revolve around it.

4. Scene 1 – 1609, Padua Question 2
What prompted “the new time” that Galileo speaks of?
Galileo believes that “the new time” was first sparked by the ships. For all of history they had hugged the coasts but suddenly they sped off into the horizon and discovered that there were new continents. This brought about a new age of exploration and questioning previous methods.

5. Scene 1 – 1609, Padua Question 3
What role did Galileo believe exploration played in broadening peoples’ minds?
Galileo believes that exploration kick started the broadening of peoples minds. It did this by showing people that the world was not flat and that they were not going to fall off the edge but rather that there were new continents out there. This discovery and proof that old beliefs weren't necessarily true got people wondering about the rest of the beliefs that had been around for ages and questioning them and why it is that way.

6. Q4) Why might faith “have been enthroned for a thousand years” and now be replaced by doubt?
As to the day, the church was very powerful and wealthy. Popes not only were influential on their own, but also in the role as secular leaders, therefore they controlled a lot of Italy. Majority of people were religious and trusted the authority of the church on everything. So when Galileo begins to share his ideas of modern science, it placed doubt in people after faith has been ruling people for ‘a thousands years’

7. Q5) Why does Galileo make a distinction between “gawping” and “seeing”?
Galileo makes a distinction between seeing and gawping when Andrea states he is seeing the ‘sun in a different place in the evening from what it was in the morning. So it can’t be standing still.’ Gawping is looking blindly, without thinking and questioning.

8. Q6. What comment does the Procurator offer about Mathematics and why?
He says that ‘mathematics, so to speak, is an unproductive art…it may not be so essential as philosophy or as useful as theology, but it nonetheless offers infinite pleasures to its adepts’
This suggests that the procurator sees mathematics as only for the benefits of those who study it, and not producing important benefits for society such as philosophy and theology.

9. Question 7 - What important observation does Galileo make about the need for teachers to learn?
Galileo says" I am stupid. I understand absolutely nothing. So I am compelled to patch up the holes in my knowledge." pointing out that even teachers can still, and should still learn things, as know one knows everything and there is always more to learn.

10. Question 8 - What comment does the Procurator ale about the tension between the Church and Galileo’s research?
The Procurator says that Galileo should be careful preaching his theories, as he is ”devoting (himself) to a science which has for a considerable time ceased to show a due respect for the teachings of the Church!" and that he “would be well advised not to utter so loudly a name on which the Church has laid its anathema. Not even here, Signor Galilei. Not even here."

11. Q9) In asking Galileo for “another piece of work like this famous proportional compasses” what is the Procurator suggesting about Galileo’s work?

12. Q10) What problem does Galileo highlight with hypotheses?

13. Scene 2 – Arsenal of Venice

14. 1. Why does the Procurator attributes the telescope to an “inscription of the great book of arts”?

15. Q2) What is Ludovico starting to learn about science?

16. Scene 3 – 10 January 1610, Galileo’s Study, Padua

17. Q1) Why does Galileo mark this date as “got rid of heaven”?

18. Q2) Why were Galileo’s earlier inventions so well received?

19. Scene 3
Question 3: Why does the Procurator refuse to see the broader benefits of Galileo's telescope?
The procurator does not believe that the telescope has a “wonderful purpose”.
He is focused on the commercial benefits of the telescope. He now sees no purpose as it is sold by the ‘ordinary street seller’ for ‘twice nothing’. He feels he has been made the ‘laughing stock’ and only wants inventions that have ‘practical’ purposes that are easy to understand like the water pump.

20. Question 4: Why does Sagredo “feel something not all that remote from fear”?
Galileo shows Sagredo the moon and that gets light from Sun. Sagredo scared that like Giordano Bruno, Galileo will be burnt at stake for such ‘heresy'. Moreover Sagredo is afraid of what will come when the larger population discovers of the proof that heaven does not exist. He believes chaos will come from the lack of a paradise to strive towards

21. Scene 3 Question 5: What comment might be made about Galileo’s ethics?
Galileo is selfish and uses deception in order to gain money by selling the plans of the telescope, when in retrospect he imported it. How does he justify it???

22. 6) What fundamental principle does Galileo challenge with his view that the ‘earth is a planet and not the centre of the universe’?
By saying that ‘it’s just a lot of stars’ he is challenging that there is a physical heaven with God. He says God is ‘within ourselves or nowhere’.

23. Scene 3, Question 7: Why does Galileo claim he taught the Ptolemaic system despite thinking it was wrong?
Even though Galileo believed that the Ptolemaic system was wrong, he didn’t have any proof for it being wrong. He taught it to stop the Church from getting wind of his decision to go against the Church’s teachings and be burnt at stake, as they did with “Giordano Bruno” in Rome. After finding proof, he also wanted more “time to work out (his) proofs”.

24. Scene 3, Question 8 What observation does Sagredo make about Human Reason?
Sagredo’s observation is that the Pope would probably not listen to the truth, if he hears that Galileo thinks its teachings are wrong and that it will only see it as rebelling against the Church, before even considering that what he says might be true. This observation comments on how people won’t listen to logical reasoning if it has large negative consequences, such as the Pope losing his position of power, due to Christians putting less faith in the teachings of the Church.

25. Question 9
Galileo means when he says that he believes “in reason’s gentle tyranny over people” that no matter what the human mind tries to do, there will always be the overarching yet subliminal voice of reason that will speak up and try and justify the actions that have taken place.
Question 10 Galileo believes that the difference between him and Copernicus is that whereas Copernicus was trying to prove the theory with numbers and figures, Galileo could prove the theory using peoples eye and a telescope

26. 11. Why does Sagredo believe “it is a disastrous night when mankind sees the truth”?
 He believes this will be 'a disastrous night when mankind sees the truth' because that is the night where belief is thrown away and human reason is adopted. 
Sagredo does not believe in the concept of human reason this is due to his forty years spent among them only showed that they were not open to reason,’try make one rational statement to them, back it up with seven proofs, and they’ll just laugh at you’. Moreover, Sagredo believes that people who are open to reason and truth are also on a path to doom, also that people do not understand the truth when they’re told they are wrong. 
12. Why does Galileo name the new starts after the House of Medici?
Medici are high up, respectable, wealthy Italian family that were bankers that essentially ran florence for hundreds of years. Galileo called the new starts after them to pay respect towards the family and in turn win over the Italian family and community. This would then validate Galileo himself. 

27. Scene 4 - Florence
1. What does the Philosopher’s use of Latin suggest?
The Philosopher’s use of Latin suggests very close ties to the church, as Latin is the language spoken by the Church. He says “aristotelis divini universum” which can be translated as “ The universe of the divine Aristotle”. This leads the reader to believe that the Philosopher holds the ideas of Aristotle on the same level the church would hold the ideas in the bible.

28. 2. What distinction is Galileo attempting to make between “the authority of Aristotle” and “tangible facts”?
Galileo attempts to create a distinction between “the authority of Aristotle” and the “tangible facts” to the Philosopher and Mathematician. He attempts to convey that if ”tangible facts” could be established that disprove Aristotle’s authority, why would one not believe the facts?
Galileo uses this generalization to show that his discovery of the Medician Stars would disprove the crystal spheres stated to exist by Aristotle .

29. 3. What does Galileo mean when he says “Truth is born of the times, not of authority”?
Galileo means that truth can become apparent or change as time goes on and should not be dragged down by authority of the past. Truth comes from the facts that present themselves at the time not from someone's authority. It is pointed out the Aristotle did not have a telescope at the time when he conceived his ideas, but they have access to such inventions now and should take advantage of it. Galileo wants to show that things that were once held to be true can change as time goes on.

30. Scene 5: Galileo continues his research; the plague breaks out

31. Scene 6 – 1616 – The Vatican

32. Q2) What position to the First and Second Astronomers take?

33. Q1. What causes the mocking at the beginning of this scene?

34. Scene 6 Q3- what position des the old cardinal take?
The old cardinal takes a very cold position towards Gallileo and even labels him " an enemy of the human race". The Cardinal states his firm belief in God and how "mankind is the Crown of creation". This clearly tells us that the Cardinal is astutely set in his ways and his traditional values from that time will not be influenced by Galileo's findings.

35. 4- what conclusion does Christopher Clavius reach and what further predicament does this place Gallileo in?
Christopher Clavius takes the side of Galileo simply by saying "hes right" and leaves silently and coldly followed by astronomers. This results in Gallileo being put in an awkward predicament of proving his theory but having the Very Old Cardinal and other religious figures being against him still and refusing to believe him regardless of facts presented before them.

36. Scene 7 – 5 March 1616

37. Q1) What analogy does Galileo use to explain his theory to Barberini?
Galileo uses the analogy of the ship and how what our eyes see is not necessarily true. When Galileo was standing n the ship his eyes saw the shore moving away from him. He assumed that this must be the case because everything else on board the ship was staying where it was. The eyes play the trick that the shore is moving away when it is actually standing still and the ship is the one moving away. This explains Galileo’s theory that it may be the sun standing still and the earth rotating it and not the other way around as our eyes see it.

38.  Q2) What conclusion does Bellarmin say the Holy Office has reached?
Bellarmin has said that the church has come to the conclusion that it is impossible to know if the earth rotates the sun but it is legitimate to exploration because science and maths are the much loved daughters of the church, as long as they don’t over rule their “father”.

39. Scene 8 - Rome

40. Q1) What might be the ‘potential dangers for humanity in wholly unrestricted research?’

41. Q2) What does the Little Monk see as the danger is suggesting Galileo's ideas to people like his parents? What is Galileo’s response?

42. Scene 9

43. 1. Why is Galileo so angry at filipo
1. Why is Galileo so angry at filipo? Passages from Mucius's book condemn Copernicus's theories about the rotation of the earth. Galileo believes this theory is correct, and knows that Mucius does too, and is angry he is denying the truth to make those in leadership positions happy. Mucius was Galileo's student, and it makes Galileo look bad if his own student denies the ideas Galileo was fighting to prove.
2. What prompts Galileo to begin postulating his theories again? Galileo gains confidence that he can avoid persecution after the announcement that Barberini the mathematician will succeed "His Holiness" the pope, and decides he can begin researching again without having to "look over our shoulders like criminals".
3. What challenge dies Ludovico suggest the future pope will have? "irrespective of who the next pope is and how intense his devotion to the sciences, he will also have to take into account the devotion felt for him by the most respected families in the land." in other words, Ludovico suggests even the pope has to adhere to the demands of those of importance in the community, even if he himself believes in the theories Galileo was putting forward, he would not be able to condone them.

44. Scene 10: 1632 Carnival

45. summarise the song sun at the carnival. What is it's purpose?
Scene 10: question 1
summarise the song sun at the carnival. What is it's purpose?
The song sung at the carnival in scene 10 can be summarised as a 'joke'. Though fun and playful it makes a certain statement about how some feel about Galileo and his work. They see it as nothing but a conspiracy against the church and more importantly - against God.
Although through out the song there are a few changes in tone. At some points it seems as if he (the singer) may just believe in it. But then goes on to make certain rhymes as to why a life without God would only 'spread the poison'.
It seems the songs purpose is to scared people into thinking such things are irrelevant and non existent in the real world. And that a life without God and the church there is no purpose. That, yes, you may do what you please with no spiritual repercussions but there is no meaning without "Him".

46. Scene 11: Question 1
What can be inferred from van is comparison between what is happening in Rome and other parts of Europe?
Based on what Vanni has stated about the rest of Europe is that not only in Rome but in all these other places things are beginning to change.
Everyone is starting to catch on and it is not such a 'taboo' to look beyond the church and into the real worlds of truth.

47. What preparations has Galileo made and what does it suggest?
Scene 11:Question 2
What preparations has Galileo made and what does it suggest?
He has made preparation to smuggle himself a a couple crates of his works and books out of Rome.
This says he is no longer going to sit and be denoted so negatively any more. This also says he knows he's in some kind of trouble for his work with a higher power. Something he is not going to own up to easily.

48. Scene 12
1. What observation does the Inquisitor make about the people gathering at the Vatican?

49. What is he suggesting is at the heart of Galileo’s hypothesis?

51. Scene 13 - Ambassador’s Palace, Rome, 22 June 1633

52. 1. Why is Andrea so disappointed in Galileo?
Andrea is furious with Galileo because he has recanted his beliefs in scene 13; this act makes Andrea lose all his respect for his mentor because he believed in both Galileo and his Dicorsi.
What observation does Galileo make at the end of this scene?
Galileo observes that larger animals or plants cannot sustain their comparative advantage or strength in comparison to that of smaller animals or plants, e.g. a large “oak tree cannot sustain its branches in the same proportion as a smaller oak tree”. This observation suggests that he believes common belief such as the belief that larger things are comparatively stronger than smaller things to be “apparently erroneous” suggesting that common belief is often riddle with errors.

53. Scene 14: Florence

54. 1. Summarise Galileo’s monologue to Andrea
1 Summarise Galileo’s monologue to Andrea. Why is he so critical of himself?
Galileo decrees about how the church dismisses scientistics, he is critical upon himself because he was weak when he couldve made a difference in the world he showed terror in the face of power (church). He gave away his knowledge (recanted, took the truth back) an caved into the pressures from the church. No longer calling himself a man of science Galileo disgraces himself.

55. Scene 15 - 1637, Italian frontier town

56. 1 What attitude of the border guards works to Andrea’s advantage?
The border guards disinterest in Latin help Andrea take the book Discoursi through the frontier.
2 How does Brecht choose to end the play and why?