Under The Microscope

GALILEO: DECISIVE INNOVATOR, by Michael Sharratt; Cambridge University Press, 1996; 247 pp; A$29.95 (P)

Reviewed by Neville Gardiner

From the start, it is clear that this book is not just another biography of a representative of the revolution in which centuries of entrenched scientific and philosophical dogmas were challenged. Instead, it is an enthralling examination of how Galileo's thoughts developed, in an environment inhabited by many other richly drawn characters.

Although Galileo is remembered best as a physicist and mathematician, and a victim of the Inquistition, he was not a lone voice in a scientific wilderness.

The nature of the evidence is such that we are only allowed glimpses of Galileo's difficult family life, his financial problems, his ill health and eventual blindness. These are enough to provoke some sympathy and understanding, even though Galileo does not always come across as a likable character.

The reader is drawn along by flashes of subtle humour. It is somehow refreshing to know that one of the most famous names in the history of science was not above a little plagiarism, and to realise that the results of his experiments were sometimes too good to be true.

This scholarly book does not pretend to be the final word on interpreting Galileo's writings. It may be unrealistic to hope that any future books will all be as readable and accessible as this one.

Dr Neville Gardner is Senior Science Educator at The Science Centre and Manawatu Museum in Palmerston North.