Milli mála - 01.01.2010, Qupperneq 249

STEFanO rOSaTTI
unIVErSITY OF ICELanD
Similarities Between Scientific Language
and the Language of Literary Criticism
in Two of galileo’s Works1
1. The vernacular as weapon
In September 1610 galileo’s life comes to a turning point: afteryears in Padua (1592–1610), he moves to Florence to work for
the government of the grand Duke Cosimo de’Medici. For the first
time, at the age of forty-seven, galileo is offered the possibility and
financial support to dedicate himself to research, free of teaching
obligations. For the Tuscan scientist this seems a dream come true,
but within philosophico-scientific circles, his discoveries and suc-
cesses are met with increasing animosity. In order to gain official
recognition for his work, galileo decides to go to rome (april
1611) and to submit the results of his research for endorsement by
the highest scientific Catholic authority of his time: the roman
College of the Society of Jesus. In rome, galileo is received with
great honour – Prince Cesi nominates him member of the Lynx
academy, and the Pope himself shows him friendship. Despite
these appearances, galileo’s ideas are evaluated and pondered
within the Holy Office (It. Sant’uffizio), which does not underes-
timate their subversive potential. In May, a month after galileo’s
arrival in rome, the Holy Office is already discussing whether
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1 The Italian mathematicians and historian of science antonio Favaro (1847–1922) is the edi-
tor of the monumental (twenty volumes) Edizione nazionale delle opere complete di Galileo
Galilei sotto gli auspici di Sua Maestà il Re d’Italia (National Edition of the Complete Work
of Galileo Galilei Under the Auspices of His Majesty The King of Italy), which was com-
posed between 1890 and 1909. Due to its completeness, precision and philological rigor,
Favaro’s work still remains unequalled and a reference model for any study concerning
galileo. The source of most of the excerpts from galileo’s works in this article is the digit -
al edition of Favaro’s work.
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