developed by
Association Euresispromoted by
Meeting for Friendship among Peoplescoordinated and implemented by
Muse Media SrLunder the high patronage of the
Pontifical Council for CultureIn 1992 John Paul II brought to a synthesis the historical controversy about the "Galilei affair," which has been going on constantly in the cultural and scientific life of the last four centuries- often with harsh tones. The Church's assessment at the turning of the Millennium certainly will not close the debate around the complex historical events and cultural issues associated with Galileo and his work. But perhaps it puts us today, for the first time, in a position where we can look again peacefully and without prejudices at the extraordinary discoveries and methodological innovations introduced by the great scientist from Pisa. Galileo's observations have literally opened a new vision of the World in front of our eyes. With his work a new way of knowing reality, limited yet powerful, has been outlined and made precise: the scientific method.The exhibition aims to illustrate the events, the historical coincidences, the brilliant intuitions, the human relations and the deep motivations of Galileo starting from the astronomical observations carried out between 1609 and 1610 and later published in the booklet Sidereus Nuncius (published in 1610).
The goal is to bring the visitors to experience an identification with what Galileo did actually see in his first observations, with his reactions and those of his contemporaries (keeping in mind the astronomical knowledge and the cosmological conceptions of the time). This opens the possibility of understanding better the successive developments and the consequences that were drawn by Galileo and by others.
Therefore, the questions that will be considered are:
What did Galileo actually see through his telescope?
In what arguments did Galileo ground his astronomical theses?
In what ways were his theses affected by his predecessors?
How did Galileo develop and manage his scientific results?
The last question will lead to an assessment of the whole story, with a special focus on:
Galileo's personality: genius and arrogance.
Ambiguity and distinction between different methods: Galileo as scientist and as theologian
Galileo's human relationships (with Benedetto Castelli, with his daughter Suor Maria Celeste...)
The purpose is not an archaeological "rediscovery" of an event from the past, but rather to identify issues and judgments that are relevant also to the contemporary scientific context.
By means of the lights and shadows in Galileo's story, we want to elucidate the greatness but also the human side of the scientific endeavor and, at the same time, the lurking danger of ideology, dramatically present also in contemporary science.
The exhibition intends therefore to open new sights in order to explore:
similarities and differences between Galileo's situation and the situation of a modern scientist venturing into the unknown
the "miracle" of the correspondence between mathematics and physical structures: "God has written the book of nature using the language of mathematics"
the risk of presumption (then and today) for a scientist and for science
CONCEPT
The basic idea is to focus on the observations carried out by Galileo between 1609 and 1610, guiding the visitors through a sequence of steps that will help them identify with Galileo's experience, in all its aspects. The purpose is not to come to a "definitive judgment" on Galileo's case, but rather to create the conditions for a judgment. This means that the exhibition will try to:
- recreate the social-cultural context
- bring to life the multiple factors that were in play
- delve in detail into one aspect (the observational one) of Galileo's scientific story,
We will therefore stress the aspects of scientific work that are paradigmatic (and very relevant to the present):
passion for the knowledge of nature
obedience to the data
being able to value the details
ingenuity in developing instruments that allow one to "reveal" natural structures and phenomena
enthusiasm for discovery
desire to communicate.
The observations carried out by Galileo in Padua clearly exemplify these points.
We will favor a "communicative," non-academic form, targeted to a broad audience: we will put great emphasis on showing original materials (being an historical-scientific exhibition, documents are important) and on the role of instrumentation. We will therefore build each of the 4-5 areas of the exhibit around an historical environment, with original documents, simulations and models. Some panels will provide text and will help to follow the logical development of the exhibit.
As ancillary initiatives one or more events may be developed on the side (either before, during or after the exhibition). These events would either be of a more specialized cultural nature, or develop certain points that the exhibition will only sketch:
specific seminars
a conference with VIPs
proposals for teachers
IMPLEMENTATION
Following in the trail of other scientific exhibitions by Euresis Association in recent years, this exhibit will abandon once and for all the approach of being a didactic, itinerant, "panel-based" show . It will rather be an "event", where the dominant role will be played by the items on display, and room will be made to show historical documents and objects, as well as display items built for the occasion.
The Euresis Association will act as the main subject/author in charge of developing the contents of the exhibit, with important and qualified partnerships. Specifically, the exhibit will be promoted by the Rimini Meeting for Friendship among Peoples and will be under the aegis of the Pontifical Council for Culture. The production of display objects and other exhibit materials will be coordinated/implemented by the firm Muse Media SrL (from Bologna), which specializes in events and exhibitions.
The exhibit will be inaugurated in Rimini during the Meeting for Friendship among Peoples 2009 from August 23rd through August 29th and then set up again and expanded in Rome, from November 15th through Jannuary 31st 2010 in the exposition site of the Vatican Palazzo della Cancelleria Apostolica. This will be followed by showings in some other important Italian cities in collaboration with local institutions (cultural centers, associations etc.)
COLOPHON
Honor Committee
S. Em. Card. Paul Poupard, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture
S. Em. Card. Raffaele Farina, S.D.B., Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church
S. E. Mons. Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture
Prof. Nicola Cabibbo, President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences
Prof. George Coyne, President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation
Prof. Michael Heller, Pontifical Academy of Theology, Kracow
Prof. Owen Gingerich, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and History of Science, Harvard University
Dr. Charles L. Harper, Vice President of the John Templeton Foundation
Have been also invited:
On. Mariastella Gelmini, Minister of Education, the University and Research.
On. Sandro Bondi, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities
Prof. Carlo Rubbia, Nobel Prize winner in Physics
Scientific Committee
Prof. Piero Benvenuti, State University of Padua
Prof. Marco Bersanelli, State State University of Milan
Prof. Gianni Bonera, State University of Pavia
Prof.ssa Francesca Bonicalzi, State University of Bergamo
Prof. Paolo Musso, State University of Insubria, Varese
S. E. Mons. Sergio Pagano, Prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives
Prof. Rafael Pascual, Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum
S. E. Mons. Cesare Pasini, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library
Prof. Paolo Ponzio, State University of Bari
S. E. Mons. Melchor Sanchez de Toca y Alameda, Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture
S. E. Mons. Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences
Prof. William Shea, Galileian Chair at the State University of Padua
Prof. Elio Sindoni, State University of Milan Bicocca
Prof. Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
Prof. Pasquale Tucci, State University of Milan
Prof. Yunli Shi, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei
Coordinator: Mario Gargantini
Executive staff: Marco Beghi, Benedetta Cappellini, Enrico Gamba, Saul Garavaglia,
Gianluca Lapini, Lorenzo Mazzoni, Sergio Musazzi, Nicola Sabatini,
Angela Sandrinelli, Roberto Sanvito, Massimo Valisa
Main Partners:
- Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale of Florence
- Pontifical Academy of Sciences
- Galileian Chair at the State University of Padua
- State University of Bari
- Brera Astronomical Museum , State University of Milano
- John Templeton Foundation
Operations, Setup and Communications: MUSE Media Srl
PLAN of the EXIBIT
1. Introduction
- Colophon & introductory panel to the Exhibit
- Time table: life of Galileo vs. contemporary historical/cultural/ecclesiastic events
2. How Galileo arrived to 1609
- Education, teachers, medieval heritage, university etc.
- Galileo's research work before 1609
- How Galileo got involved with the "Chief World Systems" (geocentrism and heliocentrism)
3. The Telescope
4. Magic Nights
What happened, what was he looking for, how did he work, what did he discover.
- What Galileo saw between 1609 and 1612
- Galileo as draftsman
- The report in the Sidereus Nuncius
5. Galileo and the Others
His relationships with academics, churchmen, friends... and their impact.
- Galileo in Rome
- Galileo and Kepler
6. The Proofs
- What he saw with the telescope
- What did that prove?
- What was missing in order to prove heliocentrism?
- How aware of this was Galileo?
- When was conclusive evidence found?
7. Things never seen before
Analogy between Galileo's experience of awe when he saw something new and unexpected and the
experience of modern scientists, especially in the 20th century.
8. An ongoing debate...
A virtual panel discussion