I just finished the book Galileo's Daughter. It was a surprising and an interesting read for a biography. I will say it was way more about Galileo than his daughter, but it really made me stop and think about the dangers of overzealous religious leaders and the desire for the control of thoughts within any group of people.
One of the startling things was the discussion of the plague outbreaks (it interrupted the publishing of one of Galileo's works as well as his heresy hearings). Considering the protests in Raleigh (to reopen the state) were starting about the same time I hit that chapter, it was equally interesting. People were allowed to keep working in one city as long as none of the workers (the owner and his apprentices or servants) showed any symptoms of the bubonic plague. Many workers would try to hide any symptoms of the disease so they could feed their families or keep their jobs. If people were caught doing that, then their hands were tied behind their backs and they were hung by their wrists. Whether that was a a temporary hanging or a permanent hanging the book did not specify. Regardless, it makes me shudder to think about that, and makes the people on social media whining about wearing a mask seem silly and childish. (And bear in mind, after wearing a mask for 5 hours at the hospital with Bobby, I'm no longer a fan of them, even if I do understand their importance.) The extremes in consequences is what I found so startling: one is pain and torture; the other is slight discomfort and inconvenience.
The other startling thing was his oldest daughter, who the book was about, took on some of his punishment for him (reciting the Psalms for thirty minutes every day and praying a certain prayer). The whole discipline concepts in the early Catholic church still astound me, but the idea that anyone can absolve or be a substitute for another's punishment seems strange and contradictory, even if that is what Christ did for us.
The ending took me by surprise, and I won't share it or it would ruin it for anyone who reads it. Let's just say that without it, I would have classified the book as interesting and okay. But with it, it bumps it up into a good category.
One of the startling things was the discussion of the plague outbreaks (it interrupted the publishing of one of Galileo's works as well as his heresy hearings). Considering the protests in Raleigh (to reopen the state) were starting about the same time I hit that chapter, it was equally interesting. People were allowed to keep working in one city as long as none of the workers (the owner and his apprentices or servants) showed any symptoms of the bubonic plague. Many workers would try to hide any symptoms of the disease so they could feed their families or keep their jobs. If people were caught doing that, then their hands were tied behind their backs and they were hung by their wrists. Whether that was a a temporary hanging or a permanent hanging the book did not specify. Regardless, it makes me shudder to think about that, and makes the people on social media whining about wearing a mask seem silly and childish. (And bear in mind, after wearing a mask for 5 hours at the hospital with Bobby, I'm no longer a fan of them, even if I do understand their importance.) The extremes in consequences is what I found so startling: one is pain and torture; the other is slight discomfort and inconvenience.
The other startling thing was his oldest daughter, who the book was about, took on some of his punishment for him (reciting the Psalms for thirty minutes every day and praying a certain prayer). The whole discipline concepts in the early Catholic church still astound me, but the idea that anyone can absolve or be a substitute for another's punishment seems strange and contradictory, even if that is what Christ did for us.
The ending took me by surprise, and I won't share it or it would ruin it for anyone who reads it. Let's just say that without it, I would have classified the book as interesting and okay. But with it, it bumps it up into a good category.
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