Dialogue on the Two Greatest World Systems (Oxford World's Classics)

'The truth which we arrive at by means of mathematical proofs is the same truth that is known to divine wisdom.'


Galileo's Dialogue on the Two Greatest World Systems, the most brilliant and persuasive defence of the Copernican theory that the Earth goes around the Sun to have been written in the seventeenth century, is one of the foundation texts of modern science. This new translation renders Galileo's lively Italian prose in clear modern English, making the whole of Galileo's text readily accessible to modern readers, while William Shea's introduction and notes give a clear overview of Galileo's career and draw on the most recent scholarship to explain the scientific and philosophical background to the text. This volume provides everything necessary for an informed reading of Galileo's masterpiece.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Galileo

Mark Davie has taught Italian at the Universities of Liverpool and Exeter, and has published studies on various aspects of Italian literature, mainly in the period from Dante to the Renaissance. He is particularly interested in the relations between learned and popular culture, and between Latin and the vernacular, in Italy in the Renaissance.

William Shea was a Fellow at Harvard University before becoming Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at McGill University in Montreal and the first incumbent of the Hydro-Quebec Chair. He later taught at the University of Strasbourg from 1996 until 2003 when he was appointed Galileo Professor of History of Science at the University of Padua. He served as Chairman of the Standing Committee for the Humanities of the European Science Foundation, which was an association of major research organizations from 27 countries in Europe. He belongs to several academies including the European Academy, the Royal Society of Canada, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel prizes and where he is a member of the Committee on Physics and Chemistry. He is the author of 10 books, the co-author or editor of 25 other books, and he has published over 180 scholarly articles that have appeared in 10 languages.