The Tyranny of Truth: Feyerabend, Bellarmine and Galileo

Year 2022, Issue: 76, 211 - 226, 13.12.2022

Ünsal Çimen

Abstract

Paul Feyerabend defines Galileo as a tyrant who imposes his thoughts on others in his published talk, Galileo and the Tyranny of Truth. He asserts that the Church established a reality by considering human concerns, and by punishing Galileo, the Church was able to defend this reality, so becoming the guarantor of a blessed life. This paper criticizes the aforementioned talk of Feyerabend in three ways: the first section criticizes Feyerabend’s view of Galileo as someone who imposed his thoughts on others. The second section argues that in determining reality, Galileo was not indifferent to human concerns because he accepted the Sacred Book as a boundary condition of reality. The third section asserts that Galileo did not deviate from the ideas which guarantee a blessed good life.

Keywords

Heliocentricism, Geocentricism, Feyerabend, Bellarmine, Galileo, Aristotle

GERÇEĞİN TAHAKKÜMÜ: FEYERABEND, BELLARMINE VE GALILEO

Abstract

Paul Feyerabend, Galileo ve Gerçeğin Tahakkümü isimli yayınlanmış konuşmasında, Galileo’yu, düşüncelerini başkalarına dayatma yoluna giden bir zorba olarak tanımlar. Kilise’nin insani ilgileri göz önüne alarak bir gerçeklik oluşturduğunu ve Galileo’yu cezalandırmak suretiyle Kilise’nin bu gerçekliği savunabildiğini, böylece kutsanmış bir yaşamın güvencesi haline geldiğini ileri sürer. Bu makale, Feyerabend’in bahsi geçen konuşmasını üç yönden eleştiriye tabi tutar; ilk bölüm, Feyerabend’in Galileo’yu düşüncelerini başkalarına zorla dayatan biri olarak görmesini eleştirir. İkinci bölüm, gerçekliği belirlemede Galileo’nun insani ilgilere duyarsız kalmadığını çünkü Galileo’nun da Kutsal Kitap’ı gerçekliğin bir sınır koşulu olarak kabul ettiğini ileri sürer. Üçüncü bölüm ise, Galileo’nun, kutsanmış iyi bir hayatı güvenceye alan düşüncelerden sapmadığını savunur.

Keywords

Güneş Merkezcilik, Feyerabend, Bellarmine, Galileo, Aristoteles, Yer Merkezcilik

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