ABSTRACT
The Galileo affair—in which the scientist was called before the Inquisition for advocating the Copernican theory that the earth revolved around the sun— has been presented by some as an example of the necessary conflict between science and religion, and by others as an unnecessary conflict provoked by Galileo’s vanity and lack of prudence. The real story is much more complicated than either of these extremes reflects. It took place across many years, and many people and circumstances played important roles.
