A defense of Galileo, the mathematician from Florence

Despite extensive study of the Galileo affair in recent years, there are still some important documents relating to the case which have received little attention in the English-speaking world. In his translation of Thomas Campanella's Apologia pro Galileo Richard J. Blackwell presents for the first time in English a reliable and highly readable translation of this important and neglected work. Campanella, the maverick Dominican sought to head off the confrontation between Galileo and the theologians by defending Galileo's right to develop, debate, and publish his ideas freely. By making available at last a well-documented English version of this treatise - one in which the theological dimensions of the dispute receive their clearest presentation yet - Blackwell makes a worthy contribution to a heightened awareness of the doctrinal issues role in the Galileo affair. Written in 1616 while Campanella was imprisoned by the Inquisition, the Apologia pro Galileo was banned in Rome at the time of its publication in 1622, therefore having little influence on the outcome of the Galileo case. However, then as now it stands as an important document calling for intellectual freedom as related to the Galileo case in particular, and as a plea for freedom of thought in general. Readers will appreciate the accuracy and readability of this translation, as well as Blackwell's extended introduction that provides ample background information relating Campanella and his Apologia to the Galileo affair. In addition, extensive notes identifying Campanella's use of sources and the persons he mentions in the Apologia are included.