A concise, well-thought-through biography of Galileo. The point of another biography of him is the present climate od science denial, of skepticism in our social and political realms, about the way science is done–and why it is done that way.

There is much to be taken from an erudite scientist and polymath's recounting of the events of Galileo's life in the specific context of looking at what led him to become a prisoner of conscience, what the men who opposed his dissemination of his discoveries were fighting for and against, and what this battle cost all of society. Author Livio is tendentious, unapologetically so, and presents a perfectly astonishing notes, footnotes, and sources collection for a popular not academic book.

The organization of the book is more thematic than linear. Following the author's arguments is, as expected from a scientist, not hard...being organized is kinda the job description of scientist, after all...but do not expect the chronology of Galileo's life to make an appearance, and go with the logical flow.

Science, being dedicated to the pursuit of facts, often presents its conclusions as Truth...then changes its mind as new evidence comes in. This is a feature, not a bug, in how science works. It conflicts with many people's intense need for Immutable Truth...science is pretty much antithetical to Immutability. This has the sad consquence of people like the church hierarchy is made up of, running head-on into people like Galileo and his fellow scientists as they follow the evidence and the facts in reaching very new conclusions...facts are not Truth. The conclusions based on the facts, new and old, are not Truth. Science is a worldview based on probabilities.

Many people feel this is shifty...dishonest...trying to put one over on them.

This is the conflict that Author Livio is arguing against. He does not use head-on confrontation to do so. Galileo's life, and his conflict with the hierarchy, does most of his heavy lifting. The beauty of his book is that this argument, presented in any other way, leads to deeper entrenchment of anti-science attitudes. By using the life of a well-known and respected scientist from the past, the attitudes that led him into conflict, and how that conflict is now understood, Author Livio uses the back door to find the chinks in the faulty logic used by science deniers.

Great book for your loud old uncle, or your argumentative teen boy, who has Opinions about science with no information to rest them on. Also good for you to read because you will learn more ways to build your counterarguments to the denials of facts to serve that evil illusion, Truth.

Author Mario Livio (http://www.mariolivio.com) published the book “Galileo: And the Science Deniers” in 2020. Dr. Livio has published seven books and numerous technical papers.

I categorize this novel as ‘G’. This book, as the title implies, is a biography of Galileo Galilei. The book chronicles Galileo’s early life, his period of discovery, and the trials he later underwent. His ‘radical’ views on science contradicted Catholic Church doctrine. This led to his books being restricted and his censure.

I enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 283-page history. I knew the general story of Galileo. This book certainly delves deeper into his life. His discoveries and publications are discussed. The controversy he faced with the Church is covered in detail. This was a very dry and tedious read. From the title, I knew that the book addressed the science deniers from Galileo’s time. I was not expected to encounter commentary on today’s politics. I thought that this detracted from Galileo’s life story. I like the cover art used for this book. I give this book a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

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Mario Livio's Galileo is a fascinating biography of an amazing scientist and historical figure. A wonderful read for anyone who believes in science and how we depend on science and human curiosity in our lives every day.

Galileo And the Science Deniers by Mario Livio
By Jack | June 11, 2020 | Book Review

A book about a scientist and by a scientist, Galileo and the Science Deniers is much more than a simple biography.

Astrophysicist Mario Livio tells about the man and scientist as only a scientist could. Galileo Galilei ‘s achievements are placed in the context of present scientific knowledge. His ideas are explained clearly. His struggles hold lessons for today’s climate of science denial. I believe the perspective of a working scientist is very important to this last point.

Galileo is considered one of the great founders of modern science. Unlike many of his contemporaries , he did not believe knowledge came for the study of ancient texts but rather from observation and experimentation. His studies of motion conflicted with teaching of Aristotle.

His discoveries with the telescope lead him to believe that the Copernican theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun was probably correct. The Catholic Church doctrine was the the Ptolemaic system where the Sun revolved around the Earth. This conflict lead to the Inquisition finding him to be a suspected heretic. He managed to avoid the worst punishments by recanting his ideas and was placed under house arrest.

I especially enjoyed the last few chapters which included discussions of various current science denial controversies and various views about roles of religion and science.

As usual, I thank Netgalley for the Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC). If you’d like to see another review, here is a good one.

This is an extraordinary and fascinating book. I am glad I requested it and somehow was approved for the ARC.

The book itself is not a biography of Galileo, although his life is explored from the beginning to the unspeakable trials at the end of his long life. Livio's emphasis on the book is on the struggle that Galileo faced to present scientific information to a world dominated by the Catholic church and all the other science deniers of his time. Livio points at a parallel to modern times and the battle of scientific evidence about climate change, and those who choose to deny it.

He also makes a point about the clashes between the evolution and creationist theories which may never be resolved. At least, not during my lifetime. Let's remember that it was until 1992 (only about 350 years later) that Pope John Paul II recognized the church had given Galileo an unfair trial, and that it was possible for science and religion to coexist. That is a long time to admit that you made a big mistake.

Galileo printed his observations and studies in Italian. His goal was to provide scientific information to everyone interested and capable of understanding it. He refused to write things in Latin to prevent only a few individuals who may not have chosen to share it. Mario Livio chose to do the same for us, laymen people and wrote this thorough and highly researched book to share the knowledge in a language we can understand, should we be interested in the topic. And we should be. Because if we don't listen to science, if we continue-in the general sense of we-ignoring the facts presented ad nauseam by scientific research, we will end up messing up the only planet we have to live in. It does not matter if there may be an "Earth-like" planet 12 million light-years away. We are not going to make it there on time.

Galileo, with his rudimentary tools and artifacts available during his lifetime, achieved wonders that were both exciting and threatening. Threatening to those in power who were afraid to lose control of the people. Ignorance is boss, they say. Ignorance is still a tool used by our current powerful entities to maintain people in the dark.

How many modern Galileos are there being silenced? How many of those are being mocked or ignored, or ridiculed on their warnings about climate change? Furthermore, happening right now, it is impossible to address the denial from many people in positions of power to address and prevent the spread of viruses such as the COVID-19.

This book is relevant in modern times, as history tends to repeat itself. Sometimes we need to look back before moving forward.

This is my 6th book by Mario Livio and I must say, he does not disappoint.

The present book is a thoroughly and thoughtfully biography of Galileo Galilei. The span of time covered here is from childhood until his last days and beyond, because his work and trial had implications until in our days.

As the author states: “[…] I am convinced that present-day readers will be amazed to discover how relevant Galileo’s story is for today. In a world of governmental antiscience attitudes with science deniers ay key positions, unnecessary conflicts between science and religion, and the perception of a widening schism between the humanities and the sciences, Galileo’s tale serves, first of all, as a potent reminder of the importance of freedom of thought.” *

We learn a lot about his works, correspondence with different other scientists, facts about his private life, and also about the economic, social and political context of those times.

The writing style is very fluent and the way he presented Galileo’s life made the book a very compelling read. And, as always, the number of notes and bibliographical references is astonishing – 20% of the book.

Always a pleasure to read, I recommend all his books wholeheartedly.

* may be subject to change upon publication

A really good biography i found well written and researched and I recommend to history and science lovers

Great story from history of science, scarily relevant today

I enjoyed this book. It isn’t a biography of Galileo, per se. It is about the anti-science sentiment of the day that affected Galileo. There is actually very little science in the book and little about Galileo that didn’t involve his conflict with the Church. Author Mario Livio did a good job of equating Galilieo’s challenges with those of climate change and evolution. I enjoyed Livio’s story-telling and his conversational writing style. I recommend it for anyone interested in the history of science or in current science being influenced by religious dogma.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.