Galileo's Daughter, by Dava Sobel

Notice each chapter begins with a quote, from a text discussed in that chapter.

Be sure to find the quote, and be aware of the author, the context, and at least one interpretation of its meaning,
    for each chapter assigned.  Note the page number for the quote in the text.

    Find another quote from that chapter that you see related to Sobel's choice.

Notice the first chapter is a summary of the whole story, with emphasis on Galileo's relationship with his daughter,
    S. Maria Celeste.  How does Sobel see the importance of this relationship in regard to Galileo's trial?

Do you agree that Galileo is a "mythic figure"?

Do you believe there is an inevitable conflict between science and religion?

What surprises you about these characters?

What aspects of the story are due to the culture of Italy at the time?

Which of these are most interesting to you:

    developments in astronomy and physics

    the extended family of Galileo

    the life of the nuns in the convent of San Matteo in Arcetri, near Florence

    the black death

    the networks of scholars and scientists both for and against Galileo

    the web of church agencies and institutions, including the Jesuits and the Inquisition

    the House of Medici in Florence

    the role of women, both lay and religious

What makes Galileo complex and difficult to understand as a person?

What do you feel could have been done better in this conflict? 

What is your overall evaluation of the relationship between art and nature in this book?

How would you describe the kinds of love that grow between Sr. Maria Celeste and her father?
      How do the contexts of 16th century Florence and San Matteo affect their attitudes?

Discuss the 2 books, the Dialogue of 1632 and the Discourses of 1638:
      compare the contexts, style, content, and legacy.  Connect to some recent development
      in astronomy, space investigation, or physics.

Compare the points of view of Pope Urban VIII with some of Galileo's supporters,
      before, during, and after the trial of 1633.  Could Galileo have taken a different approach?

Consider the leadership we see in relation to the crises of the plague, the Thirty Years War, and Galileo,
      in Florence under the Medici, and in Rome, under Urban VIII, and in Siena, under Piccolomini.
      What do you see as positive, and what negative, methods and policies?

What is the final mystery about the tomb in Santa Croce, and how does Sobel examine the evidence?
      What remains mysterious, and what is significant, about ending the story with this story?