Who Was Galileo? by Patricia Brennan Demuth

 Who Was…? biography series for middle grade fascinates with the story of Galileo – the father of modern science who proved Copernicus’ theory that Sun doesn’t circle the Earth.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was born in Pisa, Italy. His father was a musician who also wrote books about music theory. There were strict rules even for composing. His father liked to question those strict rules. And that’s something that Galileo learned from his father to question in search of truth.

From childhood, Galileo was very curious, taking apart machines to see how they worked. He even invented some toys. He also liked music and drawing. During his time, very few people attended university. His father was determined to give his smart son the best possible education.

In 1581, Galileo enrolled at University of Pisa, where he liked to argue about ideas. His classmates nicknamed him “the Wrangler.” He poured himself into study of math. He noticed that a pendulum swinging wide and fast takes the same amount of time to go back and forth as when it slows nearly to a stop.

At nineteen, he’d discovered a mathematical law. He was the first one to use a scientific method. Thus, he is known as the father of modern science.

After four years, he left university without any degree. He returned home which was now Florence, where his family lived. He privately taught math and gave lectures.

Meanwhile, he continued to do his own research. He was interested in nature and how the energy and water worked. It led him to invent a water pump which helped farmers irrigate their crops.

Later, he invented a scale and published a book about it. Word spread out about his outstanding work, and he was offered a job in mathematics as professor at University of Pisa. But the thinking here was still too restricted for him.

Then, came a position at University of Padua which was a much better fit for him as it was a freethinking place. His brilliant reputation continued to grow.

In 1957, he invented compass. Then, thermometer.

In 1609, he heard of a spyglass being invented. He set to work to make his own spyglass. After improving his own telescope, he turned it toward the heavens and observed it. He uncovered an outstanding number of heavenly secrets.

His next book made him famous all over Europe. He also secured a patron - Grand Duke Cosimo II Medici. Thus, he was able to leave his job in Padua and return to Florence where he could fully dedicate himself to research.

After observing the sky, he proved what Copernicus noticed in 1543 that it’s the earth that moves and not the sun. The attacks against him grew as he continued to make findings that clashed with old ideas.

He was silenced by the Church and later charged with heresy at the age of seventy. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest and was never to publish another book.

What restored his spirit was going back to studying motion. He invented a better clock. His last book about motion and matter was smuggled to Holland in 1638 where it was published and became important groundwork for future scientists, including Isaac Newton.

This biography epitomizes a man who, because of his curious mind and constant questioning, was able to discover so much like Leonardo da Vinci before him. 

Published by Penguin Workshop in 2015

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within himself.” – Galileo

 

 

Traits:

·         Galileo learned from his father to question in search of truth.

·         From childhood, he was very curious, taking apart machines to see how they worked.

·         At school, he liked to argue about ideas.

·         He left university without any degree since the thinking and rules of the time were too restricted for him, but he continued his own research.

·         His research led him to different inventions which he described and published. Word spread out about his outstanding work.

·         His ideas clashed with the Church at the time and he was put under house arrest which restricted him to the rest of his life. Despite that he still continued his research within his confinement, and was able to smuggle his last findings to Holland to be published. That turned out to be pivotal for future scientists.

 

 

“Passion is the genesis of genius.” – Galileo

“I have never met a man so ignorant that I could not learn something from him.” – Galileo

“Philosophy is written in that great book which ever lies before our eyes – I mean the universe – but we cannot understand it if we do not first learn the language and grasp the symbols in which it is written.” - Galileo

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 Aristotle’s Way by Edith Hall explores Aristotle’s humane program for becoming a happy person. Aristotle as well as his teacher Plato, and his teacher Socrates and others were above all thinkers (philosopher is a modern name). And their thinking was propelled by ancient wisdoms, one of them Kabbalah (which thanks to David Ghiyam’s podcast is becoming more and more accessible and understood).

Any ancient wisdom comes down to pursuit of happiness, how to attain it and retain it.

Aristotle used the ancient wisdoms to create his program at the school he founded. The author delves into ten practical and universal lessons based on his teachings.

For example, lesson one is about happiness. “According to him, the ultimate goal of human life is, simply, happiness, which means finding a purpose in order to realize your potential and working on your behavior to become the best version of yourself.” All ancient wisdoms teach how to become the best version of yourself. However, the “purpose” is something external and seen differently by eastern cultures than western ones. You should turn inward, then outward. If you focus on purpose, then you go outward first, and at the end the purpose you sought may not bring you happiness, because you need to turn inward first. It seems as Aristotle put his own spin on ancient wisdom.

Lesson two is about potential. Aristotle himself didn’t reach his full potential until he was fifty. “He was unable to devote himself full-time to writing and teaching philosophy-fulfilling his own unique potential-until he was nearly fifty.”

The success to fulfilling your potential is finding what you’re good at. For example, Helen Keller fulfilled her potential as a campaigner for disabled, but if she didn’t have the support she had in her childhood, she probably would never reach her potential. It also goes the other way around, if you don’t have a potential in a specific field, it doesn’t matter how much training, intention or reasoning you apply, it will not result in your full potential.

“Every object in the universe, according to Aristotle, has a purpose for which it exists.” – Yes, that’s what ancient wisdoms teach as well. Nothing is random.