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Added example(s)
* FloweryInsults: It's noted that in a series of letters between Johannes Kepler and Christen Longomontanus (an associate of Tycho Brahe's), Longomontanus described Kepler's work with the colorful analogy of being "submerged in the shit of the Augean stables."[[note]]a location in Myth/ClassicalMythology that was so infamously filthy that cleaning it was a literally Herculean task[[/note]] Kepler retorted that nitpicking his work would be like complaining about the last barrel of shit in the Augean stables after he'd cleaned up the rest.
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* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Arguably, the person most responsible for Galileo's downfall was Galileo himself. Due to his egocentrism, hotheadedness, and lack of political acumen, he ends up pissing off authorities who were otherwise content to leave him alone and alienating potential allies.
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* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Arguably, the person most responsible for Galileo's downfall was Galileo himself. Due to his egocentrism, hotheadedness, and lack of political acumen, he ends up pissing pissed off authorities who were otherwise content to leave him alone and alienating alienated all his potential allies.
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* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: While needlessly arrogant and standoffish, Galileo was a proto-scientist who advocated for successful theories, supported colleagues like Kepler and Marius and was deeply involved with the Church... all of which is depicted as stemming mostly from self-interest, as his support ended as soon as it ceased to be convenient for him.
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* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: While needlessly arrogant and standoffish, Galileo was a proto-scientist who advocated for successful theories, supported colleagues like Kepler and Marius and was deeply involved with the Church... all of which is depicted as stemming mostly from self-interest, as his support for them ended as soon as it ceased to be convenient for him.
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* AssholeVictim: While the end result of Galileo's trial was clearly biased against him, he had angered so many people over the years that many were glad to see him go down, or at least not worth the trouble of speaking up.
to:
* AssholeVictim: While the end result of Galileo's trial was clearly biased against him, he had angered so many people over the years that many were glad to see him go down, or at least not worth the trouble of speaking up.couldn't be bothered to speak up on his behalf.
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* BestServedCold; In the 1610s, members of the so-called "Pigeon League" conspired to frame Galileo for heresy by forging letters and witness statements. They eventually do bring Galileo down... eighteen years later, after other rivals of Galileo came across the unsuccessful accusations and cited them as evidence against him in his trial.
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* BestServedCold; BestServedCold: In the 1610s, members of the so-called "Pigeon League" conspired to frame Galileo for heresy by forging letters and witness statements. They eventually do bring Galileo down... eighteen years later, after other rivals of Galileo came across the unsuccessful accusations and cited them as evidence against him in his trial.
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* DamnedByAFoolsPraise: The reason Pope Urban VIII becomes so irate at Galileo's ''Dialogue'' is because in the conclusion, a {{strawman}} idiot named Simplicio ("Simpleton" in Italian) shares Urban's philosophical views. Galileo's opponents in the Papal court have little trouble convincing His Holiness that it was a direct dig at him.
to:
* DamnedByAFoolsPraise: The reason Pope Urban VIII becomes became so irate at Galileo's ''Dialogue'' is because in the conclusion, a {{strawman}} idiot named Simplicio ("Simpleton" in Italian) shares Urban's philosophical views. Galileo's opponents in the Papal court have had little trouble convincing His Holiness that it was a direct dig at him.
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** In 1616, Galileo was put under an injunction on teaching Copernicanism as a fact instead of simply a mathematical theory. So, he wrote the ''Dialogue'' as merely a hypotehtical debate between several characters about heliocentrism and geocentrism. Of course, he made it an AuthorTract where the heliocentrist runs rhetorical circles around a geocentrist StrawCharacter.
to:
** In 1616, Galileo was put under an injunction on teaching Copernicanism as a fact instead of simply a mathematical theory. So, he wrote the ''Dialogue'' as merely a hypotehtical hypothetical debate between several characters about heliocentrism and geocentrism. Of course, he made it an AuthorTract where the heliocentrist runs rhetorical circles around a geocentrist StrawCharacter.
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* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: While needlessly arrogant and standoffish, Galileo was a proto-scientist who advocated for successful theories, supported colleagues like Kepler and Marius and was deeply involved with the Church; all of which is depicted as stemming mostly from self-interest, as his support ended as soon as it ceased to be convenient for him.
to:
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: While needlessly arrogant and standoffish, Galileo was a proto-scientist who advocated for successful theories, supported colleagues like Kepler and Marius and was deeply involved with the Church; Church... all of which is depicted as stemming mostly from self-interest, as his support ended as soon as it ceased to be convenient for him.
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-->Before you laugh at your ancestors, TOF invites you to prove that the earth is, contrary to your senses, in wild and careening double motion: spinning like a top and whipping around the sun without (somehow) leaving the Moon and Air behind, and without everyone stumbling around like drunkards. You are not allowed to appeal to authority or to the success of NASA, or suchlike things. You've got eyeballs and armillaries, and that's pretty much it. Go. TOF will wait here.
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** Of all the "modern" 17th century models of the universe mentioned in the story--Copernican, Gilbertian, Tychonic, Ursine, and Keplerian--the only one that ends up being largely vindicated by later scientific discoveries is Kepler's. Even as the Copernican model was being superseded, Galileo stubbornly spent much of his later life (and spent all his reputation) defending it in his writings.
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** Of all the "modern" 17th century models of the universe mentioned in the story--Copernican, Gilbertian, Tychonic, Ursine, and Keplerian--the only one that ends ended up being largely vindicated by later scientific discoveries is Kepler's. Even as the Copernican model was being superseded, Galileo stubbornly spent much of his later life (and spent all his reputation) defending it in his writings.
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** In order for Kepler's theory of planetary movements to work, there needed to be some kind of field projected by the Sun that kept everything in orbit. The theory of gravitation hadn't been developed yet, so what was Kepler's answer as to what this field? The Holy Spirit.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead in life or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years' War.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo has this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done earlier and/or more accurately by someone else--he still acted as if he was the most important scientist alive. He even accuses a fellow astronomer of being jealous that "it was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else."
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead in life or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years' War.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo has this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done earlier and/or more accurately by someone else--he still acted as if he was the most important scientist alive. He even accuses a fellow astronomer of being jealous that "it was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else."
to:
** In order for Kepler's theory of planetary movements to work, there needed to be some kind of field projected by the Sun that kept everything in orbit. The theory of gravitation hadn't been developed yet, so what was Kepler's answer as to what this field? field was? The Holy Spirit.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead in life or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years'War.
War, and his dual loyalties became a liability.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileohas had this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done earlier and/or more accurately by someone else--he still acted as if he was the most important scientist alive. He even accuses a fellow astronomer in a letter of being jealous that "it was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else."
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead in life or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years'
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo
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* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: ExactWords. ''"Galileo rushed to Rome to meet with his old friend and benefactor – six audiences in six weeks! His BFF is now the Pope! '''What could possibly go wrong?'''"''
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* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: ExactWords. ''"Galileo rushed to Rome to meet with his old friend and benefactor – -- six audiences in six weeks! His BFF is now the Pope! '''What could possibly go wrong?'''"''
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* OlderThanTheyThink: Flynn points out that at several points, ancient and medieval thinkers espoused scientific concepts that seemed relatively far ahead of their time. Ptolemy's model of the planets, though geocentric, roughly approximates elliptical orbits. 14th century astronomer Nicole Oresme argued Galilean relativity centuries before Galileo. Pope Urban VIII espoused a concept of falsifiability that would be paralleled by Karl Popper 300 years later. Kepler's theory that the orbit of the moon affected the tides
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* DamnedByAFoolsPraise: The reason Pope Urban VIII becomes so irate at Galileo's ''Dialogue'' is because in the conclusion, a {{strawman}} idiot named Simplicio ("Simpleton" in Italian) shares Urban's philosophical views. Galileo's opponents in the Papal court have little trouble convincing His Holiness that it was a direct dig at him
* DeadpanSnarker: One of Galileo's most notable traits--which made him plenty of both friends and enemies--was his caustic wit and snarky comebacks hidden in his writings. For instance, he refers to his rival Ludovico delle Colombe and his supporters as the "Pigeon League,"[[note]]a pun on the Italian word for pigeon, ''colombo''[[/note]] and his rebuttal to a book called ''Astronomical Balance'' is titled ''The Assayer''.[[note]]an assayer is a type of scale that's more accurate than a balance[[/note]]
* DeadpanSnarker: One of Galileo's most notable traits--which made him plenty of both friends and enemies--was his caustic wit and snarky comebacks hidden in his writings. For instance, he refers to his rival Ludovico delle Colombe and his supporters as the "Pigeon League,"[[note]]a pun on the Italian word for pigeon, ''colombo''[[/note]] and his rebuttal to a book called ''Astronomical Balance'' is titled ''The Assayer''.[[note]]an assayer is a type of scale that's more accurate than a balance[[/note]]
to:
* DamnedByAFoolsPraise: The reason Pope Urban VIII becomes so irate at Galileo's ''Dialogue'' is because in the conclusion, a {{strawman}} idiot named Simplicio ("Simpleton" in Italian) shares Urban's philosophical views. Galileo's opponents in the Papal court have little trouble convincing His Holiness that it was a direct dig at him
him.
* DeadpanSnarker: One of Galileo's most notable traits--which made him plenty of both friends and enemies--was his caustic wit and snarky comebacks hidden in his writings. For instance, he refers to his rival Ludovico delle Colombe and his supporters as the "PigeonLeague,"[[note]]a League,"[[note]](a pun on the Italian word for pigeon, ''colombo''[[/note]] ''colombo'')[[/note]] and his rebuttal to a book called ''Astronomical Balance'' is titled ''The Assayer''.[[note]]an [[note]](an assayer is a type of scale that's more accurate than a balance[[/note]]balance)[[/note]]
* DeadpanSnarker: One of Galileo's most notable traits--which made him plenty of both friends and enemies--was his caustic wit and snarky comebacks hidden in his writings. For instance, he refers to his rival Ludovico delle Colombe and his supporters as the "Pigeon
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. Many Jesuits were supporters of Copernicanism, and several of them--most notably Cardinal Robert Bellarmine--were colleagues and political allies of Galileo. However, Galileo's repeated spats with astronomer-priests like Frs. Christoph Scheiner and Orazio Grassi sour his reputation with the Jesuits, led to them doing nothing to stop his prosecution.
to:
* EvilJesuit: Averted. Many Jesuits were supporters of Copernicanism, and several of them--most notably Cardinal Robert Bellarmine--were colleagues and political allies of Galileo. However, Galileo's repeated spats with astronomer-priests like Frs. Christoph Scheiner and Orazio Grassi sour soured his reputation with the Jesuits, led to them doing nothing meaning they didn't do anything to stop his prosecution.
* NothingPersonal: With the notable exception of Pope Urban, very few people behind Galileo's downfall had any personal disdain for Galileo himself. It was due to political rivalries between Rome and Galileo's home of Florence more than anything else; after the war ended, the ban on him publishing any more books was barely enforced.
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* PoorCommunicationKills: Due to the slow dissemination of literature in the day, Galileo thinks that a months-old treatise by Bavarian astronomer Christoph Scheiner is recent and deliberately refusing to acknowledge his claims on sunspots. Galileo writes a blistering open letter to Scheiner as a result.
to:
* PoorCommunicationKills: Due to the slow dissemination of literature in the day, Galileo thinks that a months-old treatise by Bavarian astronomer Christoph Scheiner is recent and deliberately refusing to acknowledge his claims findings on sunspots. Galileo writes a blistering open letter to Scheiner as a result.
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** Of all the "modern" 17th century models of the universe mentioned in the story--Copernican, Gilbertian, Tychonic, Ursine, and Keplerian--the only one that ends up being largely vindicated by later scientific discoveries is Kepler's. Even as the Copernican model was becoming superseded, Galileo stubbornly spent much of his later life (and his reputation) defending it in his writings.
** A lot of the Renaissance humanists mentioned throughout the story are said to have flirted with Platonic mysticism, occultism, and other "mystical woo-woo."
** A lot of the Renaissance humanists mentioned throughout the story are said to have flirted with Platonic mysticism, occultism, and other "mystical woo-woo."
to:
** Of all the "modern" 17th century models of the universe mentioned in the story--Copernican, Gilbertian, Tychonic, Ursine, and Keplerian--the only one that ends up being largely vindicated by later scientific discoveries is Kepler's. Even as the Copernican model was becoming being superseded, Galileo stubbornly spent much of his later life (and spent all his reputation) defending it in his writings.
** A lot of the Renaissance humanists mentioned throughout the story are said to have flirted withPlatonic mysticism, Platonism, occultism, and other "mystical woo-woo."
** A lot of the Renaissance humanists mentioned throughout the story are said to have flirted with
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** Galileo cited the movement of the tides as proof of the rotation of the Earth. When he learned of new data that contradicted it, Galileo flat-out ignored it and put it in his book anyway.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years' War.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo has this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done by someone else earlier or more accurately--he still acted as if he was the most important scientist alive. He even accuses a fellow astronomer of being jealous that "it was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else."
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years' War.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo has this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done by someone else earlier or more accurately--he still acted as if he was the most important scientist alive. He even accuses a fellow astronomer of being jealous that "it was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else."
to:
** Galileo cited the movement of the tides as proof of the rotation of the Earth. When he learned of new data that contradicted it, Galileo flat-out ignored it and put it left the original claim in his book anyway.
** In order for Kepler's theory of planetary movements to work, there needed to be some kind of field projected by the Sun that kept everything in orbit. The theory of gravitation hadn't been developed yet, so what was Kepler's answer as to what this field? The Holy Spirit.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead in life or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years' War.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo has this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done earlier and/or more accurately by someoneelse earlier or more accurately--he else--he still acted as if he was the most important scientist alive. He even accuses a fellow astronomer of being jealous that "it was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else."
** In order for Kepler's theory of planetary movements to work, there needed to be some kind of field projected by the Sun that kept everything in orbit. The theory of gravitation hadn't been developed yet, so what was Kepler's answer as to what this field? The Holy Spirit.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead in life or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years' War.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo has this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done earlier and/or more accurately by someone
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-> -- '''From the Conclusion'''.
Written by Science Fiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}} under the handle [=TheOFloinn=] (TOF for short), ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, with particular emphasis on the career, controversy, and trial of UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei.
Besides illustrating how [[ScienceMarchesOn the march of science]] can be slow, plodding, and inconsistent, it also works to dispel numerous myths about the era. This includes, but is not limited to, support for geocentrism being rooted in unscientific superstition, the accuracy of many early heliocentric models, the extent of Galileo's contributions to science, and Galileo's prosecution being for religious reasons rather than political or personal ones.
The first version was an article published in January 2013 in ''Analog'' with the full title "The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown and Down 'n Dirty Mud-Wrassle." An extended version was published from August to October 2013 on Flynn's blog [=TheTOFSpot=], [[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html which can be read here]].
Written by Science Fiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}} under the handle [=TheOFloinn=] (TOF for short), ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, with particular emphasis on the career, controversy, and trial of UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei.
Besides illustrating how [[ScienceMarchesOn the march of science]] can be slow, plodding, and inconsistent, it also works to dispel numerous myths about the era. This includes, but is not limited to, support for geocentrism being rooted in unscientific superstition, the accuracy of many early heliocentric models, the extent of Galileo's contributions to science, and Galileo's prosecution being for religious reasons rather than political or personal ones.
The first version was an article published in January 2013 in ''Analog'' with the full title "The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown and Down 'n Dirty Mud-Wrassle." An extended version was published from August to October 2013 on Flynn's blog [=TheTOFSpot=], [[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html which can be read here]].
to:
-> -- '''From the Conclusion'''.
--'''Chapter 9,''' "Conclusion: Our ancestors were not fools"
Written byScience Fiction ScienceFiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}} under the handle [=TheOFloinn=] (TOF for short), ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, with particular emphasis on the career, controversy, and trial of UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei.
Besides illustrating how [[ScienceMarchesOn the march of science]] can be slow, plodding, and inconsistent, it also works to dispel numerous myths about the era. This includes, but is not limited to, support for geocentrism being rooted in unscientific superstition, the accuracy of many early heliocentric models, the extent of Galileo's contributions to science, and the role of the Catholic Church in his downfall. Instead, Galileo comes off as an egocentric blowhard who had a knack for overhyping his skills, alienating colleagues, and making new rivals. Flynn also provides context regarding the UsefulNotes/TheProtestantReformation and the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar, portraying Galileo'sprosecution conviction for heresy as being for religious reasons rather than part of a larger political or personal ones.
struggle instead of the oversimplified "brave scientist vs. superstitious clergy" narrative known today.
The first version was an article published in January 2013 in ''Analog'' with the full title "The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown and Down 'n Dirty Mud-Wrassle." An extended version was published from August to October 2013 on Flynn'sblog Website/{{BlogSpot}} page [=TheTOFSpot=], [[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html which and it can be read here]].
Written by
Besides illustrating how [[ScienceMarchesOn the march of science]] can be slow, plodding, and inconsistent, it also works to dispel numerous myths about the era. This includes, but is not limited to, support for geocentrism being rooted in unscientific superstition, the accuracy of many early heliocentric models, the extent of Galileo's contributions to science, and the role of the Catholic Church in his downfall. Instead, Galileo comes off as an egocentric blowhard who had a knack for overhyping his skills, alienating colleagues, and making new rivals. Flynn also provides context regarding the UsefulNotes/TheProtestantReformation and the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar, portraying Galileo's
The first version was an article published in January 2013 in ''Analog'' with the full title "The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown and Down 'n Dirty Mud-Wrassle." An extended version was published from August to October 2013 on Flynn's
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!! This work provides examples of the following tropes:
* AssholeVictim: While it's made clear that the trial was unjust, Galileo is shown as this, since he had made sure to use his power base to bully any academic adversary he saw fit.
* BestServedCold; The schemes by the "Pidgeon League" to punish Galileo for his affronts finally catch up with the man... some 18 years later.
* AssholeVictim: While it's made clear that the trial was unjust, Galileo is shown as this, since he had made sure to use his power base to bully any academic adversary he saw fit.
* BestServedCold; The schemes by the "Pidgeon League" to punish Galileo for his affronts finally catch up with the man... some 18 years later.
to:
!! This work provides examples of Tropes Concerning the following tropes:
Two Chief World Systems:
* AssholeVictim: Whileit's made clear that the end result of Galileo's trial was unjust, Galileo is shown as this, since clearly biased against him, he had made sure angered so many people over the years that many were glad to use his power base see him go down, or at least not worth the trouble of speaking up.
* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Discussed and very much averted. Flynn points out that contrary tobully any academic adversary the popular myth around Galileo, he saw fit.
wasn't persecuted because heliocentrism angered literalist religious authorities, but because he was in the middle of a web of personal, religious, and political rivalries. The story is also filled with numerous cases of priest-astronomers, as well as scientists and mathematicians with religious benefactors.
* BestServedCold;The schemes by In the "Pidgeon 1610s, members of the so-called "Pigeon League" conspired to punish frame Galileo for his affronts finally catch up with the man... some 18 heresy by forging letters and witness statements. They eventually do bring Galileo down... eighteen years later.later, after other rivals of Galileo came across the unsuccessful accusations and cited them as evidence against him in his trial.
* AssholeVictim: While
* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Discussed and very much averted. Flynn points out that contrary to
* BestServedCold;
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough of the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much the Jesuits partook in his fall.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In order to get past the injunction on advocating for Copernicanism, Galileo published the ''Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems'' as merely debate between several characters about heliocentrism and geocentrism.
* ItsPersonal: One of the great factors in Galileo's downfall is that Pope Urban VIII believed that Galileo's ''Dialogue'' was a personal dig against him. As a result, he made no effort to save his former friend when Galileo ran afoul of the Roman Inquisition, and seemed to be content with his punishment.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In order to get past the injunction on advocating for Copernicanism, Galileo published the ''Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems'' as merely debate between several characters about heliocentrism and geocentrism.
* ItsPersonal: One of the great factors in Galileo's downfall is that Pope Urban VIII believed that Galileo's ''Dialogue'' was a personal dig against him. As a result, he made no effort to save his former friend when Galileo ran afoul of the Roman Inquisition, and seemed to be content with his punishment.
to:
* DeadpanSnarker: One of Galileo's most notable traits--which made him plenty of both friends and enemies--was his caustic wit and snarky comebacks hidden in his writings. For instance, he refers to his rival Ludovico delle Colombe and his supporters as the "Pigeon League,"[[note]]a pun on the Italian word for pigeon, ''colombo''[[/note]] and his rebuttal to a book called ''Astronomical Balance'' is titled ''The Assayer''.[[note]]an assayer is a type of scale that's more accurate than a balance[[/note]]
* DumbassHasAPoint: In his ''Dialogue'', Galileo has the idiot StrawCharacter Simplicio point out that in order to truly settle the debate, one theory can't just have evidence in its favor, but also have evidence that proves the other false. Flynn compares this to a proto-concept of Karl Popper's theory of falsification. This was largely only done so Galileo could maintain a fig leaf of balance and impartiality.
* EvilJesuit: Averted.The Society Many Jesuits were supporters of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo Copernicanism, and Kepler, several of them--most notably Cardinal Robert Bellarmine--were colleagues and only had enough political allies of the former after Galileo. However, Galileo's repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much spats with astronomer-priests like Frs. Christoph Scheiner and Orazio Grassi sour his reputation with the Jesuits partook in Jesuits, led to them doing nothing to stop his fall.
prosecution.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:In order to get past the injunction on advocating for Copernicanism, Galileo published the Everything about Galileo's ''Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems'' Systems'':
** In 1616, Galileo was put under an injunction on teaching Copernicanism as a fact instead of simply a mathematical theory. So, he wrote the ''Dialogue'' as merely a hypotehtical debate between several characters about heliocentrism andgeocentrism.
geocentrism. Of course, he made it an AuthorTract where the heliocentrist runs rhetorical circles around a geocentrist StrawCharacter.
** The ''Dialogue'''s full title was originally ''Dialogue Concerning the Ebb and Flow of the Sea''. Pope Urban VIII said that his claims about tides being proof of the Earth's rotation may be too biased, so Galileo changed the title of the book and left all his arguments within intact.
** In order to publish the ''Dialogue'' without interference from the Papal censors, Galileo took advantage of his [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections political ties]] and extenuating circumstances (a local outbreak of plague impeding travel) to get multiple officials in different cities to each review part of the book. As a result, his book was approved, even though none of the officials saw it in its entirety.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Arguably, the person most responsible for Galileo's downfall was Galileo himself. Due to his egocentrism, hotheadedness, and lack of political acumen, he ends up pissing off authorities who were otherwise content to leave him alone and alienating potential allies.
* ItsPersonal: One of the great factors in Galileo's downfall is that Pope Urban VIII believed that Galileo's ''Dialogue'' was apersonal dig deliberate insult against him. As a result, he made no effort to save his former friend when became personally invested in seeing Galileo ran afoul of the Roman Inquisition, getting punished and seemed to be content with his punishment.censored.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In his ''Dialogue'', Galileo has the idiot StrawCharacter Simplicio point out that in order to truly settle the debate, one theory can't just have evidence in its favor, but also have evidence that proves the other false. Flynn compares this to a proto-concept of Karl Popper's theory of falsification. This was largely only done so Galileo could maintain a fig leaf of balance and impartiality.
* EvilJesuit: Averted.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** In 1616, Galileo was put under an injunction on teaching Copernicanism as a fact instead of simply a mathematical theory. So, he wrote the ''Dialogue'' as merely a hypotehtical debate between several characters about heliocentrism and
** The ''Dialogue'''s full title was originally ''Dialogue Concerning the Ebb and Flow of the Sea''. Pope Urban VIII said that his claims about tides being proof of the Earth's rotation may be too biased, so Galileo changed the title of the book and left all his arguments within intact.
** In order to publish the ''Dialogue'' without interference from the Papal censors, Galileo took advantage of his [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections political ties]] and extenuating circumstances (a local outbreak of plague impeding travel) to get multiple officials in different cities to each review part of the book. As a result, his book was approved, even though none of the officials saw it in its entirety.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Arguably, the person most responsible for Galileo's downfall was Galileo himself. Due to his egocentrism, hotheadedness, and lack of political acumen, he ends up pissing off authorities who were otherwise content to leave him alone and alienating potential allies.
* ItsPersonal: One of the great factors in Galileo's downfall is that Pope Urban VIII believed that Galileo's ''Dialogue'' was a
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* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Arguably, the person most responsible for Galileo's downfall was Galileo himself. Due to his egocentrism, hotheadedness, and lack of political acumen, he ends up pissing off authorities who were otherwise content to leave him alone and alienating potential allies.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Flynn points out that at several points, ancient and medieval thinkers espoused scientific concepts that seemed relatively far ahead of their time. Ptolemy's model of the planets, though geocentric, roughly approximates elliptical orbits. 14th century astronomer Nicole Oresme argued Galilean relativity centuries before Galileo. Pope Urban VIII espoused a concept of falsifiability that would be paralleled by Karl Popper 300 years later.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Flynn points out that at several points, ancient and medieval thinkers espoused scientific concepts that seemed relatively far ahead of their time. Ptolemy's model of the planets, though geocentric, roughly approximates elliptical orbits. 14th century astronomer Nicole Oresme argued Galilean relativity centuries before Galileo. Pope Urban VIII espoused a concept of falsifiability that would be paralleled by Karl Popper 300 years later.
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* RevengeByProxy: Flynn implies that at least part of the Roman Inquisition's motivation to prosecute Galileo was because he was closely tied to the Grand Dukes of Florence, who opposed the Papal States in the Thirty Years' War.
** Since comets would throw off the whole Copernican theory due to their elliptical orbits, Galileo concluded that comets are actually non-material emanations in the upper atmosphere.
** Galileo cited the movement of the tides as proof of the rotation of the Earth. When he learned of new data that contradicted it, Galileo flat-out ignored it and put it in his book anyway.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years' War.
** Galileo cited the movement of the tides as proof of the rotation of the Earth. When he learned of new data that contradicted it, Galileo flat-out ignored it and put it in his book anyway.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: At various points throughout his career, Galileo relied on powerful friends and patrons--the Grand Duke of Florence and the Pope, to name two--to get ahead or avoid trouble. It came back to bite him when Florence and the Papal States found themselves on opposite sides of the Thirty Years' War.
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* StrawmanHasAPoint: In his ''Dialogue'', Galileo has Simplicio point out that in order to truly settle the debate, one theory can't just have evidence in its favor, but also have evidence that proves the other false. Flynn compares this to a proto-concept of Karl Popper's theory of falsification.
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* StrawmanHasAPoint: In his ''Dialogue'', StealingTheCredit: Flynn mentions that Galileo has Simplicio point out did not do the famous test where he dropped two metal balls from the Tower of Pisa to prove that in order gravitational acceleration was constant independent of size. It was actually performed by another scientist, Vincenzo Reineri; it was posthumously attributed to truly settle the debate, one theory can't just have evidence in its favor, but also have evidence that proves the other false. Flynn compares this to a proto-concept of Karl Popper's theory of falsification.Galileo by his friend and biographer Vincenzo Viviani.
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-> "In three centuries, the long complex story of how the mobile Earth replaced the stationary Earth dipped below the horizon from History into Legend. Like all good legends, the story of heliocentrism and the culture-hero Galileo is simple and general and geared toward supporting the Rightness of the Modern worldview. But history is always detailed and particular."
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Written by Science Fiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}}, ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, and in particular of the Galileo Affair.
A series of posts on the author's blog expanding a previous article, it tackles most popular misconceptions about the whole ordeal.
[[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html It can be read here]].
A series of posts on the author's blog expanding a previous article, it tackles most popular misconceptions about the whole ordeal.
[[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html It can be read here]].
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Written by Science Fiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}}, Flynn}} under the handle [=TheOFloinn=] (TOF for short), ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, and in with particular of the Galileo Affair.
A series of postsemphasis on the author's blog expanding a previous article, career, controversy, and trial of UsefulNotes/GalileoGalilei.
Besides illustrating how [[ScienceMarchesOn the march of science]] can be slow, plodding, and inconsistent, ittackles most popular misconceptions also works to dispel numerous myths about the whole ordeal.
era. This includes, but is not limited to, support for geocentrism being rooted in unscientific superstition, the accuracy of many early heliocentric models, the extent of Galileo's contributions to science, and Galileo's prosecution being for religious reasons rather than political or personal ones.
The first version was an article published in January 2013 in ''Analog'' with the full title "The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown and Down 'n Dirty Mud-Wrassle." An extended version was published from August to October 2013 on Flynn's blog [=TheTOFSpot=], [[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.htmlIt which can be read here]].
A series of posts
Besides illustrating how [[ScienceMarchesOn the march of science]] can be slow, plodding, and inconsistent, it
The first version was an article published in January 2013 in ''Analog'' with the full title "The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown and Down 'n Dirty Mud-Wrassle." An extended version was published from August to October 2013 on Flynn's blog [=TheTOFSpot=], [[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html
* DamnedByAFoolsPraise: The reason Pope Urban VIII becomes so irate at Galileo's ''Dialogue'' is because in the conclusion, a {{strawman}} idiot named Simplicio ("Simpleton" in Italian) shares Urban's philosophical views. Galileo's opponents in the Papal court have little trouble convincing His Holiness that it was a direct dig at him
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* ItsAllAboutMe: Galileo seems to suffer from this, going as far as writing that nobody but him is able to make astronomical discoveries.
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* ItsAllAboutMe: GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In order to get past the injunction on advocating for Copernicanism, Galileo seems to suffer from this, going published the ''Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems'' as far as writing merely debate between several characters about heliocentrism and geocentrism.
* ItsPersonal: One of the great factors in Galileo's downfall is thatnobody but him is able Pope Urban VIII believed that Galileo's ''Dialogue'' was a personal dig against him. As a result, he made no effort to make astronomical discoveries.save his former friend when Galileo ran afoul of the Roman Inquisition, and seemed to be content with his punishment.
* ItsPersonal: One of the great factors in Galileo's downfall is that
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* MedievalMorons: Defied, with Flynn writing at great length about how, from a medieval perspective, Geocentrism seems obviously true and the people who believed it held to it for intellectually solid reasons, even mentioning how one medieval scholar ''came up with general relativity'' during the debate.
--> Before you laugh at your ancestors, TOF invites you to prove that the earth is, contrary to your senses, in wild and careening double motion: spinning like a top and whipping around the sun without (somehow) leaving the Moon and Air behind, and without everyone stumbling around like dunkards. You are not allowed to appeal to authority or to the success of NASA, or suchlike things. You've got eyeballs and armillaries, and that's pretty much it. Go. TOF will wait here.
--> Before you laugh at your ancestors, TOF invites you to prove that the earth is, contrary to your senses, in wild and careening double motion: spinning like a top and whipping around the sun without (somehow) leaving the Moon and Air behind, and without everyone stumbling around like dunkards. You are not allowed to appeal to authority or to the success of NASA, or suchlike things. You've got eyeballs and armillaries, and that's pretty much it. Go. TOF will wait here.
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* MedievalMorons: Defied, with Defied. Flynn writing writes at great length about how, how from a medieval perspective, Geocentrism geocentrism seems obviously true and the people who believed it held to it for intellectually solid reasons, even mentioning how one medieval scholar ''came up with general relativity'' during reasons. He also points out that many of the debate.
--> Beforemodern arguments in favor of heliocentrism, which we now take for granted, were unproven at the time and would not fully be so until centuries after Copernicus and Galileo.
-->Before you laugh at your ancestors, TOF invites you to prove that the earth is, contrary to your senses, in wild and careening double motion: spinning like a top and whipping around the sun without (somehow) leaving the Moon and Air behind, and without everyone stumbling around likedunkards.drunkards. You are not allowed to appeal to authority or to the success of NASA, or suchlike things. You've got eyeballs and armillaries, and that's pretty much it. Go. TOF will wait here.here.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Arguably, the person most responsible for Galileo's downfall was Galileo himself. Due to his egocentrism, hotheadedness, and lack of political acumen, he ends up pissing off authorities who were otherwise content to leave him alone and alienating potential allies.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Flynn points out that at several points, ancient and medieval thinkers espoused scientific concepts that seemed relatively far ahead of their time. Ptolemy's model of the planets, though geocentric, roughly approximates elliptical orbits. 14th century astronomer Nicole Oresme argued Galilean relativity centuries before Galileo. Pope Urban VIII espoused a concept of falsifiability that would be paralleled by Karl Popper 300 years later.
--> Before
-->Before you laugh at your ancestors, TOF invites you to prove that the earth is, contrary to your senses, in wild and careening double motion: spinning like a top and whipping around the sun without (somehow) leaving the Moon and Air behind, and without everyone stumbling around like
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Arguably, the person most responsible for Galileo's downfall was Galileo himself. Due to his egocentrism, hotheadedness, and lack of political acumen, he ends up pissing off authorities who were otherwise content to leave him alone and alienating potential allies.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Flynn points out that at several points, ancient and medieval thinkers espoused scientific concepts that seemed relatively far ahead of their time. Ptolemy's model of the planets, though geocentric, roughly approximates elliptical orbits. 14th century astronomer Nicole Oresme argued Galilean relativity centuries before Galileo. Pope Urban VIII espoused a concept of falsifiability that would be paralleled by Karl Popper 300 years later.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Due to the slow dissemination of literature in the day, Galileo thinks that a months-old treatise by Bavarian astronomer Christoph Scheiner is recent and deliberately refusing to acknowledge his claims on sunspots. Galileo writes a blistering open letter to Scheiner as a result.
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* RightForTheWrongReasons: The early heliocentrists, like Aristarchus, the Pythagoreans, Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo, turn out to be this. Heliocentrism had to wait Newton in order to get strong supporting arguments.
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* RightForTheWrongReasons: The early ScienceIsWrong: Many of the scientists mentioned in the story are dead wrong, one way or another. Flynn summarizes it at the end by saying that the heliocentrists were RightForTheWrongReasons and the geocentrists were wrong for the right reasons.
** Ancient heliocentrists, likeAristarchus, Aristarchus and the Pythagoreans, Copernicus, Kepler followers of Pythagoras, justified their position with the logic that the Sun was made of fire, and Galileo, turn fire is nobler than earth, therefore the Sun should be in the center of the world.
** Of all the "modern" 17th century models of the universe mentioned in the story--Copernican, Gilbertian, Tychonic, Ursine, and Keplerian--the only one that ends up being largely vindicated by later scientific discoveries is Kepler's. Even as the Copernican model was becoming superseded, Galileo stubbornly spent much of his later life (and his reputation) defending it in his writings.
** A lot of the Renaissance humanists mentioned throughout the story are said to have flirted with Platonic mysticism, occultism, and other "mystical woo-woo."
** Copernicus created his heliocentric model because he wanted to push the Platonic idea of perfectly circular planetary orbits, and he cited [[HermeticMagic Hermes Trismegistus]] as evidence.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo has this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done by someone else earlier or more accurately--he still acted as if he was the most important scientist alive. He even accuses a fellow astronomer of being jealous that "it was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else."
* StrawmanHasAPoint: In his ''Dialogue'', Galileo has Simplicio point outto be this. Heliocentrism had to wait Newton that in order to get strong supporting arguments.truly settle the debate, one theory can't just have evidence in its favor, but also have evidence that proves the other false. Flynn compares this to a proto-concept of Karl Popper's theory of falsification.
** Ancient heliocentrists, like
** Of all the "modern" 17th century models of the universe mentioned in the story--Copernican, Gilbertian, Tychonic, Ursine, and Keplerian--the only one that ends up being largely vindicated by later scientific discoveries is Kepler's. Even as the Copernican model was becoming superseded, Galileo stubbornly spent much of his later life (and his reputation) defending it in his writings.
** A lot of the Renaissance humanists mentioned throughout the story are said to have flirted with Platonic mysticism, occultism, and other "mystical woo-woo."
** Copernicus created his heliocentric model because he wanted to push the Platonic idea of perfectly circular planetary orbits, and he cited [[HermeticMagic Hermes Trismegistus]] as evidence.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Galileo has this in spades. Although he didn't contribute to any significant advances in astronomy beyond his innovations with telescopes--many of his other "discoveries" were done by someone else earlier or more accurately--he still acted as if he was the most important scientist alive. He even accuses a fellow astronomer of being jealous that "it was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else."
* StrawmanHasAPoint: In his ''Dialogue'', Galileo has Simplicio point out
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* MedievalMorons: Defied, with Flynn writing at great length about how, from a medieval perspective, Geocentrism seems obviously true and the people who believed it held to it for intellectually solid reasons, even mentioning how one medieval scholar ''came up with general relativity'' during the debate.
--> Before you laugh at your ancestors, TOF invites you to prove that the earth is, contrary to your senses, in wild and careening double motion: spinning like a top and whipping around the sun without (somehow) leaving the Moon and Air behind, and without everyone stumbling around like dunkards. You are not allowed to appeal to authority or to the success of NASA, or suchlike things. You've got eyeballs and armillaries, and that's pretty much it. Go. TOF will wait here.
--> Before you laugh at your ancestors, TOF invites you to prove that the earth is, contrary to your senses, in wild and careening double motion: spinning like a top and whipping around the sun without (somehow) leaving the Moon and Air behind, and without everyone stumbling around like dunkards. You are not allowed to appeal to authority or to the success of NASA, or suchlike things. You've got eyeballs and armillaries, and that's pretty much it. Go. TOF will wait here.
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Alphabetizing, moving to YMMV.
* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough of the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much the Jesuits partook in his fall.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Galileo seems to suffer from this, going as far as writing that nobody but him is able to make astronomical discoveries.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Galileo seems to suffer from this, going as far as writing that nobody but him is able to make astronomical discoveries.
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough of the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much the Jesuits partook in his fall.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Galileo seems to suffer from this, going as far as writing that nobody but him is able to make astronomical discoveries.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Galileo seems to suffer from this, going as far as writing that nobody but him is able to make astronomical discoveries.
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* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The text amusingly mentions how Kepler, in need for a force that makes the planets circle the Sun, decided it was the Holy Spirit.
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* TheWoobie: Kepler looks like a MinorExample. While it is underlined that he produced the best support for heliocentrism of the era and did so without making a fuss, the author also mentions the several unrelated misfortunes that hit him.
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* BestServedCold; The schemes by the "Pidgeon League" to punish Galileo for his affronts finally catch up with the guy... some 18 years later.
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* BestServedCold; The schemes by the "Pidgeon League" to punish Galileo for his affronts finally catch up with the guy...man... some 18 years later.
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* AssholeVictim: While it's made clear that the trial was unjust, Galileo is clearly as this, since he had made sure to use his power base to bully any academic adversary he saw fit.
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* AssholeVictim: While it's made clear that the trial was unjust, Galileo is clearly shown as this, since he had made sure to use his power base to bully any academic adversary he saw fit.
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* AssholeVictim: While it's made clear that the trial was unjust, Galileo is clearly shown as being this, since he had made sure to use his power base to bully any academic adversary he saw fit.
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* AssholeVictim: While it's made clear that the trial was unjust, Galileo is clearly shown as being this, since he had made sure to use his power base to bully any academic adversary he saw fit.
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough of the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much the Jesuits partake in his fall.
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough of the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much the Jesuits partake partook in his fall.
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough with the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much the Jesuits partake in his fall.
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough with of the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much the Jesuits partake in his fall.
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It can be read here [[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html]].
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* ItsAllAboutMe: Galileo seems to suffer from this, going as far as writing that nobody but him is able to make astronomical discoveries.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The text amusingly mentions how Kepler, in need for a force that makes the planets circle the Sun, decided it was the Holy Spirit.
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* OverlyLongName: Several historical figures (mostly Germans), are remarked as suffering from this.
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* OverlyLongName: Several historical figures (mostly Germans), Germans) are remarked as suffering from this.
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* OverlyLongName: Several historical figures (mostly Germans), are remarked as suffering from this.
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* PresentDayPast: Part of the zaniness of the series. Galileo and Urban VIII are BFFs, Mersenne a SysOp, and so on.
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* PresentDayPast: Part of the zaniness of the series. Galileo and Urban VIII are BFFs, ''"[=BFFs=]"'', Mersenne a SysOp, ''"[=SysOp=]"'', and so on.
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* {{Jerkass}}: Galileo, big time. The famous Italian was a talented polemicist and did not shy away at all from his gift: not even people who supported him for ''decades'' were safe from his often uncalled-for ridicule.
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* {{Jerkass}}: Galileo, big time. The famous Italian was a talented polemicist and did not shy away at all from his gift: not even people who supported him for ''decades'' were safe from his often uncalled-for ridicule. It ends up being his undoing.
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* Jerkass: Galileo, big time. The famous Italian was a talented polemicist and did not shy away at all from his gift: not even people who supported him for ''decades'' were safe from his often uncalled-for ridicule.
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* Jerkass: {{Jerkass}}: Galileo, big time. The famous Italian was a talented polemicist and did not shy away at all from his gift: not even people who supported him for ''decades'' were safe from his often uncalled-for ridicule.
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* BestServedCold; The schemes by the "Pidgeon League" to punish Galileo for his affronts finally catch up with the guy... some 18 years later.
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* Jerkass: Galileo, big time. The famous Italian was a talented polemicist and did not shy away at all from his gift: not even people who supported him for ''decades'' were safe from his often uncalled-for ridicule.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: While needlessly arrogant and standoffish, Galileo was a proto-scientist who advocated for successful theories, supported colleagues like Kepler and Marius and was deeply involved with the Church; all of which is depicted as stemming mostly from self-interest, as his support ended as soon as it ceased to be convenient for him.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: While needlessly arrogant and standoffish, Galileo was a proto-scientist who advocated for successful theories, supported colleagues like Kepler and Marius and was deeply involved with the Church; all of which is depicted as stemming mostly from self-interest, as his support ended as soon as it ceased to be convenient for him.
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* PresentDayPast: Part of the zaniness of the series. Galileo and Urban VIII are BFFs, Mersenne a SysOp, and so on.
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Written by Science Fiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}} as a series of posts on his blog expanding a previous article, ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, and in particular of the Galileo Affair.
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Written by Science Fiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}} as a series of posts on his blog expanding a previous article, Flynn}}, ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, and in particular of the Galileo Affair.
Affair.
A series of posts on the author's blog expanding a previous article, it tackles most popular misconceptions about the whole ordeal.
A series of posts on the author's blog expanding a previous article, it tackles most popular misconceptions about the whole ordeal.
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[[caption-width-right:350:The fight is on!]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/urania_fig14_1.jpg]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/urania_fig14_1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The fight is on!]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The fight is on!]]
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It can be read here[[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html]].
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It can be read here[[http://tofspot.here [[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html]].
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough with the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much they partake in his fall.
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had enough with the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much they the Jesuits partake in his fall.
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had wnough with the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much they partake in his fall.
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* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had wnough enough with the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much they partake in his fall.
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None
Added DiffLines:
-> "In three centuries, the long complex story of how the mobile Earth replaced the stationary Earth dipped below the horizon from History into Legend. Like all good legends, the story of heliocentrism and the culture-hero Galileo is simple and general and geared toward supporting the Rightness of the Modern worldview. But history is always detailed and particular."
-> -- '''From the Conclusion'''.
Written by Science Fiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}} as a series of posts on his blog expanding a previous article, ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, and in particular of the Galileo Affair.
It can be read here[[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html]].
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!! This work provides examples of the following tropes:
* AssholeVictim: While it's made clear that the trial was unjust, Galileo is clearly shown as being this, since he had made sure to use his power base to bully any academic adversary he saw fit.
* CorruptChurch: Since the series deals mainly with Renaissance Italy, it's a given. It is noted that Urban VIII was infamously nepotistic even by contemporary standards (not that Galileo had an issue with this, since he had a piece of it).
* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had wnough with the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much they partake in his fall.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: The early heliocentrists, like Aristarchus, the Pythagoreans, Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo, turn out to be this. Heliocentrism had to wait Newton in order to get strong supporting arguments.
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-> -- '''From the Conclusion'''.
Written by Science Fiction author Creator/{{Michael Flynn}} as a series of posts on his blog expanding a previous article, ''The Great Ptolemaic Smackdown'' is an irreverent but detailed account of the long transition from the geocentric to the heliocentric worldview, and in particular of the Galileo Affair.
It can be read here[[http://tofspot.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-great-ptolemaic-smackdown-table-of.html]].
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!! This work provides examples of the following tropes:
* AssholeVictim: While it's made clear that the trial was unjust, Galileo is clearly shown as being this, since he had made sure to use his power base to bully any academic adversary he saw fit.
* CorruptChurch: Since the series deals mainly with Renaissance Italy, it's a given. It is noted that Urban VIII was infamously nepotistic even by contemporary standards (not that Galileo had an issue with this, since he had a piece of it).
* EvilJesuit: Averted. The Society of Jesus enthusiastically supported both Galileo and Kepler, and only had wnough with the former after repeated unprovoked attacks. Even then, it's unclear how much they partake in his fall.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: The early heliocentrists, like Aristarchus, the Pythagoreans, Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo, turn out to be this. Heliocentrism had to wait Newton in order to get strong supporting arguments.
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