Ellis Washington
On Gilbert, Harvey and Galileo: science vs. fascist institutions
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By Ellis Washington
November 16, 2014


We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.

~ Galileo

Biography of William Gilbert

William Gilbert (1544–1603), was an English physician, physicist and natural philosopher. He zealously was against both the dominant Aristotelian philosophy and the Scholastic techniques of academic education of his time. His magnum opus is his book De Magnete (1600). Gilbert is recognized as one of the inventers of the term "electricity" as well as being considered by many as the father of electrical engineering and the father of electricity and magnetism. A unit of magnet motive force, otherwise known as magnetic potential, was called the Gilbert in his honor.

Important Works by Gilbert

The publication of Gilbert's De Magnete (1600) ("On the Magnet") soon became the standard treatise on the phenomena of electrical and magnetism throughout Europe. This discovery coincided with the so-called Age of Discovery where since the early 1400s Europeans were taking extended expeditions across the oceans, discovering new continents. The magnetic compass was the critical navigational instrument that could keep the ship on course during these voyages. However, navigators knew little regarding the lodestone (magnetic iron ore) or magnetized iron. Gilbert's De Magnete is a comprehensive study of the nature of magnetism known at that time which Gilbert revolutionized by his detailed experimentations. For example, he compared the polarity of the magnet to the polarity of the Earth and constructed a complete magnetic theory based on this relationship. In Gilbert's metaphorical description, magnetism was the soul of the Earth and a flawlessly spherical lodestone, when lined up with the Earth's poles, would rotate on its axis each 24 hour-day. However, Gilbert's theories contradicted conventional cosmology that the Earth was fixed and it was the sphere of the fixed stars. Gilbert did not, however, express an opinion as to whether this rotating Earth was at the center of the universe or in orbit around the Sun, however his Copernican cosmology required a new physics to support it which later scientists like Johannes Kepler and Galileo improved upon Gilbert's research, particularly Galileo's theories to construct a stronger lodestone for greater navigational expeditions.

Biography of William Harvey

William Harvey (1578–1657) was an English physician. He was famous for being the first to completely define in detail the systemic circulation and properties of blood being pumped to the brain and body by the heart, although previous writers had laid the groundwork of this philosophy. After his death the William Harvey Hospital was built in the town of Ashford near his birthplace of Folkestone.

Important works by Harvey

Harvey's principle work is his 1651 book, Exercitationes de Generatione Animalium ("On the Generation of Animals"). Exercitationes was divided into seventy-two chapters on subjects in biological development, including the structure of the uterus, and conception. Harvey's work is largely a comparative scientific analysis on the anatomy of the reproductive organs of different animals including a comprehensive examination on the development of a chick in the egg in minute details. In his experiments, Harvey learned about the cicatricula, the area of the embryo that comprises all the embryonic cells and from where generation ensues. In later chapters he theorizes about the problems of generation, criticizing some of Aristotle's and Galen's theories about early embryogenesis as arriving at improbable conclusions. For example, Aristotle thought that embryos came from the mixture of menstrual blood and semen, while Galen understood it was female semen and male semen.

Biography of Galileo

Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), was born in Pisa, Italy. He was an Italian physicist, mathematician, engineer, astronomer, and philosopher who was a central figure in the scientific revolution of the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. His triumphs included developments to the telescope and resulting astronomical explanations furthering the cosmology of Copernicus. Galileo is considered the "father of modern observational astronomy," the "father of modern physics," the "father of science," and "the father of modern science." Galileo was truly a "Renaissance man" and did pioneering scientific research in physics, discovering the law of inertia which led to the great scientific innovations of Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century.

Important works by Galileo

In the 1600s there was on ongoing controversy between the Catholic Church and scientific community concerning the geocentric cosmology of Ptolemy, where the earth was considered the center of the universe, and heliocentric system of Copernicus, which theorized the sun at the center around an orbiting earth. Galileo constructed his own telescope in 1609 once learned of this invention from Holland. Greatly improving upon this invention in 1610 he published a brief astronomical treatise, Sidereus Nuncius, classifying his findings, including the mountains and craters on earth's moon, and the discovery of four moons orbiting Jupiter.

With the aid of these new discoveries provided by his telescope, Galileo became a stronger advocate of Copernican theory which contradicted the geocentric theory of the sun revolving around the earth in favor of the heliocentric theory of the earth revolving around the sun which the Catholic Church considered contradicted Scripture. This myopic, mistaken view of the Church postulated that since mankind is the epitome of God's creation, human beings must be the center of His cosmos. In 1616 Galileo received an official warning from the Church that his scientific theories on cosmology were an affront to Christian theology and thus heretical. Fearful of being called to the Inquisition (trial) of the Catholic Church, Galileo did not publish anything for the next 10 years, nevertheless he published his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632) after Pope Urban VIII inspired him to publish once again. This work openly championed the Copernicus heliocentric view of cosmology. Galileo was soon brought before the Inquisition of the Catholic Church and tried for heresy. To avoid a harsh imprisonment, torture and perhaps even death the good scientist was forced to recant his heliocentric ideas and submit to the authority of the Church.

Tragically, Galileo was unjustly punished and held under house arrest for the remaining eight years of his life (1634-42). However, he remained prolific in his output as late as 1638, the year he went blind. That year Galileo published his final opus in Germany, a collection of all his research into physics (Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences). He was forced to publish in another country since his Inquisition, the Catholic Church had outlawed the printing of any of his works in Italy.

Galileo vs. the Catholic Church: Revisionist History by Evolution Atheists

Do a Google search of Galileo vs. the Catholic Church and you will literally get many, many hits. Why? Because in many respects the history of mankind is the history of the abuse of the institutions of man against the natural law and natural rights of the people, particularly freedom of religion and worship of God, objective truth and freedom of ideological thought. Remember the writings of famous German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who conflated Darwin's evolution atheism with his radical ubermenschen theories to declare – "god is dead." (See Nietzsche's works, The Gay Science, 1882; Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1883 and 1891). The communists, socialist and progressives of the Left have always had a psychotic obsession against God, thus when evolution atheists seize power the first thing they do is immediately use the Leviathan State to kill the people's Judeo-Christian traditions and systematically remove God from every institution in society.

Furthermore, historical revisionists and atheists for centuries have used their reflexive hatred or perversion of God and religion like the French Revolution (1789-99) and the historical case of the Catholic Church's outrageous abuse against Galileo (1632-33) by conflating this episode against real science and using it in modern times as a cudgel to hit over the head of any Christian, conservative, constitutionalist, or Republican policy which criticizes or threatens the worldview of the ruling apparatchiks:
  • Abortion – You're against the reproductive rights of women.

  • Science – You must be a 'flat-earther' or You think the sun revolves around the earth.

  • Evolution – You're against the 'consensus of science.'

  • Education – Education is a responsibility that society must execute using techniques "previously ignored as trivial, futile, or even condemned as positively evil." [John Dewey, the father of modern education]

  • Politics – Democracy is the road to Socialism. [Marx]

  • Economics – Democracy is indispensable to socialism. The goal of socialism is communism. [Lenin]

  • Bipartisanship? – The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism. [Marx]
When India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru (1947-64) famously said, "The future belongs to science," what did he mean? I think he meant that in the present "Age of Science" (the 20th and 21th centuries) the religions of the past no longer control or are relevant to the evolution and destiny of mankind, therefore as Nietzsche declared, "god is dead." Since the advent of Darwin and the 1860s, progressives, Marxists and atheists have gradually controlled the Academy. This is why at colleges and universities all over the world have placed religion, like a decrepit, old skeleton, inside the coffin of the Department of "Philosophy." Therefore, the words of God, Jesus and the Bible have no more divine or miraculous effect than the words of Socrates, Voltaire or Nietzsche (perhaps even less).

Unlike the legendary scientists discussed in this essay – Gilbert, Harvey and Galileo, members of the academic class today are virtually all devoted to evolution atheism, therefore, since the 1860s they have become so ideologically incestuous and enslaved to atheism, Marxism and communism that one of the architects of Obamacare, a MIT economics scientist, Professor Jonathan Gruber, can boldly say in front of his academic colleagues on now five separate occasions: ACA [Obamacare] passed "because the American people are too stupid" to understand the law {laughter from the audience}. In a fifth Gruber video recorded at a 2012 conference promoting Obamacare, Gruber brags to his willing progressive accomplices in the audience how they duped New Englanders to accept "Romneycare" in 2006 when Mitt Romney (the 2012 Republican candidate for president) was then governor of Massachusetts. Gruber said:
    "The dirty secret in Massachusetts is the feds paid for our bill, OK? In Massachusetts, we had a very powerful Senator you may know. His name is Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy had basically figured out – Ted Kennedy and smart people in Massachusetts – had figured out a way to rip off the Feds [e.g., the taxpayers] for $400 million a year." {loud laughter}
Today America, ask yourself who represents the abusive institutional power of the Catholic Church and who represents the singular truth of the scientist, Galileo – President Barack Obama, the Democrat Socialist Party, and the deceitful Marxist academic Jonathan Gruber, or We the People?

*N.B.: This essay is based in part on ideas from Encyclopedia Britannica Great Books of the Western World, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Editor-in-Chief (University of Chicago, 1952), Vol. 3, Chap. 83 – Science; Vol. 3, Chap. 96 – Universal and Particular; Vol. 28 – Gilbert, Galileo, Harvey


Book Notice

Please purchase my latest opus dedicated to that Conservative Colossus, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Here are the latest two new volumes from my ongoing historical series – THE PROGRESSIVE REVOLUTION: History of Liberal Fascism through the Ages (University Press of America, 2015):
However, before the book is officially released to the public, I have to place 100 pre-publication orders (50 orders per each volume). I need your help to make this happen ASAP. Please place your order today for Volume 3 & Volume 4. Of course, if you can order all 100 copies today, the book will become official tomorrow.

Please circulate this flyer to all your email contacts & Facebook/Twitter followers who may be interested in purchasing this opus which will serve as a ready apologetic against the rampant Marxist-Progressive propaganda taught in America's public schools, colleges, universities, graduate schools, and law schools. Thanks in advance to all my friends, associates and colleagues for your invaluable support! Law and History Blog: www.EllisWashingtonReport.com


Invitation for manuscripts

I am starting a new a program on my blog dedicated to giving young conservatives (ages 14-35) a regular place to display and publish their ideas called Socrates Corner. If you know of any young person who wants to publish their ideas on any subject, have them send their essay manuscripts to my email at ewashington@wnd.com.

© Ellis Washington

 

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Ellis Washington

Ellis Washington is a former staff editor of the Michigan Law Review (1989) and law clerk at the Rutherford Institute (1992). Currently he is an adjunct professor of law at the National Paralegal College and the graduate school, National Jurisprudence University, where he teaches Constitutional Law, Legal Ethics, American History, Administrative Law, Criminal Procedure, Contracts, Real Property, and Advanced Legal Writing, among many other subjects... (more)

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