Copernicus, Galileo, and the Scientific Method
March 08, 2025
Talk given at the Spring Meeting of AAPT-IN in March, 2025.
Abstract
We think we know the story of Galileo and we also think we know what the Scientific Method is. I am going to explore some of the historical circumstances of Galileo and the Copernican Revolution and in order to nuance how the actual practice of science differs from the Scientific Method as we discuss it in the textbooks. I will be relying heavily on Thomas Kuhn’s fascinating book The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought.