EPPUR SI MUOVE - A MOMENT THAT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED WHENEVER ACADEMIC FREEDOM IS DISCUSSED Stampa

Hauled before the Roman Inquisition for arguing for the heliocentric model of the solar system in Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, GALILEO was saved from a fiery end by his friendship with Pope Urban VII when he was Cardinal Maffeo Barberini. For, without anything like the protection of tenure, Galileo was forced to recant and was placed in what amounted to house arrest for the rest of his life. ... as Galileo left the room he paused and in a stage whisper, said, "AND YET IT [the Earth] STILL MOVES" – a moment that should be remembered whenever academic freedom is discussed. (F: UWN Oct. 2021)