Galileo, despite multiple warnings, persisted in declaring his (at the time) unproven theories to be fact, so he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to house arrest in his luxury apartment with all his equipment to further his research.
“..it is difficult to take seriously an article which begins in ignorance. ..”
I think the author was using the story to set up his discussion. The crux of which is: “... We cannot, must not, stop fighting for the right to disagree. It is appalling that it has become necessary to legislate to enforce this freedom on academic institutions that were once dedicated to free discussion. The imperatives that must be taught to the young have not changed since Plato’s day. Argue. Question. Disagree. Expose received ideas to rigorous interrogation…..”
Yes. In fact, (as I’m sure you know) what I referred to as “Galileo’s correct observations” were made, in fact, by Father Copernicus. Now, the Church did take a dim view of Copernicus in light of Galileo’s belligerent, demeaning, illogical and counter-productive defense of it. But had it been combined with Cardinal Nicolas Di Cusa’s “Cosmologia,” the world’s knowledge of cosmology would have been 500 years ahead itself.
(I just read that secularists insist Copernicus was not a priest, despite the fact that not only was he canon and collegiate prelate, but the documents exist where he was proposed for the episcopacy of Warmia. Edward’s Rosen’s claim that Galileo’s [and later Polish] claims that Copernicus was not a priest only establish that Galileo felt no need to prove this point. Despite being taken as gospel, Rosen provides no evidence to believe he was not a priest, and fails to consider the very obvious evidence that he was one.)