Is God a Mathematician_ - Mario Livio [123]
Viviani created the popular image: A thorough discussion of Galileo’s methods and thought process can be found in Shea 1972, and in Machamer 1998.
“was ignorant not only”: Galileo 1589–92. Galileo profusely criticizes Aristotle in De Motu. See Galilei 1600a, b.
Virginia, Livia, and Vincenzio: The life story of Virginia, later known as Sister Maria Celeste, is beautifully told in Dava Sobel’s Galileo’s Daughter (Sobel 1999).
“About 10 months ago”: Galilei 1610a, b. An excellent description of the work that led to the telescope can be found in is Reeves 2008.
As the historian of science Noel Swerdlow: Swerdlow 1998. For a detailed description of Galileo’s discoveries with the telescope, see Shea 1972, Drake 1990.
Turning his telescope to the Moon: A more popular and very engaging description of Galileo’s discoveries, as well as a general history of the telescope, can be found in Panek 1998.
The importance of the discovery: Galileo’s Copernicanism is discussed extensively by Shea 1998 and Swerdlow 1998.
a playful Galileo sent Kepler: The letter itself was written to the Tuscan ambassador to Prague, but Galileo enclosed the anagram for Kepler.
Kepler tried unsuccessfully to decipher: In fact, he wrote to Galileo: “I abjure you not to leave us long in doubt of the meaning. For you see you are dealing with real Germans. Think in what distress you place me by your silence.” Quoted in Caspar 1993.
Scheiner argued that it was impossible: The entire episode is discussed in detail in Shea 1972.
The Scottish poet Thomas Seggett: The epigram was in Latin. Seggett (1570–1627) had been a pupil with Galileo in Padua. The epigram appears in Favaro’s Le Opere. A beautiful discussion of poetry related to telescopes can be found in Nicolson’s Modern Philology (Nicolson 1935).
Sir Henry Wotton, an English diplomat: Curzon 2004.
Here is the Aristotelian Giorgio Coresio: Coresio 1612. Also cited in Shea 1972.
the Pisan philosopher Vincenzo di Grazia: Appears in di Grazia’s Considerazioni (1612), which is reprinted in Favaro’s Opere di Galileo, vol. 4, p. 385.
In the draft of his treatise: Cited in Shea 1972.
His premise of celestial immutability: The entire story of the controversy over the nature of sunspots is described beautifully in Van Helden 1996 and in Swerdlow 1998. See also Shea 1972.
The entire story of The Assayer: Galilei 1623.
were delivered by Galileo’s disciple: Antonio Favaro, who edited all of Galileo’s works, found that large parts of Guiducci’s manuscript (containing the lectures) were written in Galileo’s handwriting.
Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations: Galilei 1638.
what was truly at the heart: Excellent discussions of Galileo’s opinions on the relation between science and scripture can be found in Feldberg 1995 and in McMullin 1998.
In a long letter to Castelli: Appears also in von Gebler 1879.
was clearly at odds with that: Theologian Melchor Cano stated in 1585 that “not only the words but even every comma [in the scripture] has been supplied by the Holy Spirit.” Cited in Vawter 1972.
Galileo’s further attempts to rely: An extensive description can be found in Redondi 1998.
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief: Galilei 1632.
“We condemn you to the formal”: de Santillana 1955.
“Therefore, desiring to remove from”: de Santillana 1955.
“The fact that the Pope”: Beltrán Mari 1994. See also discussion in Frova and Marenzana 1998.
Chapter 4. Magicians: The Skeptic and the Giant
“the greatest single step ever made”: Cited in Sedgwick and Tyler 1917.
René Descartes was born on March 31: There are numerous biographies of Descartes. The classic is Baillet 1691. Other books I found helpful were Vrooman 1970 and the relatively recent Rodis-Lewis 1998. Bell 1937 gives a brief but beautiful summary. Very interesting also are Finkel 1898, Watson 2002, and Grayling 2005.
Descartes asked the first passer-by: While there is no doubt that Descartes did indeed meet Beeckman on that day, Beeckman never mentions any