Galileo, Courtier : The Practice of Science in the Culture of Absolutism (Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series)

Rating:
Summary: This book is not what it seems to be
Review: Before believing what Biagioli writes read Michael Shank's review (Shank, Michael H. 1994. Galileo's Day in Court. Journal for the History of Astronomy 25:236-242.) and Biagioli and Shank's later exchange on the book in Early science and medicine Vol 1, 1996.

Shank concludes, and I agree, that Biagioli manipulates the evidence and does not "behave in the way in which good, honest, historians behave".

Rating:
Summary: controversial but important
Review: I read the Shank-Biagioli dispute the reviewer mentions. If you accept Shank's critique, it undermines one chapter but not the entire book. For anyone interested in Galileo, scientific patronage, or religion and science, this is a must-read. Even if you do not agree with everything Biagioli says, his book has been incredibly influential.

Rating:
Summary: A whole new Galileo
Review: This book is a real eye-opener. Fascinating, readable, well-researched, Mario Biagioli takes us beyond the ever-present conventional portraits of Galileo as "father of modern science." Biagioli weaves an enthralling tale that takes us into a world that is very different than our own. Here we see Galileo in his 16th century context, rather than through the anachronism of enlightenment and positivism. And what a strange and wonderful picture it is. A world of courtly patronage and emblamatics that Galileo navigated as skillfully as he did the worlds of mathematics and natural philosophy. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the history, science, the Renaissance or even just a good story with fascinating ideas and personalities.