I thought that Mr. Sloan’s presentation on the trial of Galileo was very well done and pretty interesting.  One reason for this is that I’m simply fascinated with how all of these different astronomers arrived at their various conclusions, which Mr. Sloan explained rather well.  I’m a physics major, so this stuff is right up my alley.  Another reason why I found the talk to be thought-provoking is that it spoke to an issue that resonates with me personally.  I come from a somewhat religious family and went to a Jesuit high school, where religion was at the center of the education.  So the idea of whether science stands opposed to religion has been somewhat answered for me through my experience–as far as I can tell, the answer is no.  My education has been something of a testament to that.

But anyway, back to Galileo.  I ultimately do agree with Mr. Sloan’s conclusion with regard to the Galileo case.  It appears to me that political and other cultural factors played a much bigger role in the opposition to Galileo’s heliocentric model than any sort of religiously substantive dispute did.