Consilience

Galileo, Cigoli, and The Church, all came together to create a significant, unique, impact on the world. The three, through their friendship, conflictions, and impacts on each other, all combined as one to foster the beginning of a conflict still going on today.

Galileo Galolei (2/15/1564 - 1/8/1642 pictured at right) was an Italian astronomer, and also mathematician, philosopher and physicist. Galileo studied and found proof for Copernicanism; the belief that the planets and earth revolve around the sun, opposing the belief that heavenly bodies orbited the earth. Some of his other astronomy accomplishments were: Improving the telescope, discovering four of Jupiter's satellites, observing sun spots, and craters and mountains in the moon. Unfortunately, due to his Copernican ideas and writings he was called to Rome and eventually put under house arrest.

Lodovico Cardi (1559-1613), is an Italian architect and painter who is better known as Cigoli. His paintings are very religious related, and one of the most famous of his is "The Sacrifice of Isaac." (pictured at left) He was a student of Buontalenti; who decorated the Boboli Gardens, and was also a member of the Accademia del Disegno; which is an art school in Florence, and the first drawing school in Europe.

The Church in the Renaissance time was still a big political part of the world as well as religious; practically as it had been in the Middle Ages. The head of the Church; the Pope, was set up in Rome, with bishops and priest spread throughout Europe to administer to the laymen. The Church handled the spiritual well being of the people, many financial issues, and had a huge influence on political matters and who got into different offices.

Galileo Galolei and Cigoli were good friends, who helped and influenced each other. Cigoli helped to get Galileo into the Accademia del Disegno where he learned chiaroscuro. It was with the help of this technique, that while looking at the moon with his telescope Galileo came to the conclusion that the moon had mountains and craters; instead of just seeing blotches and wondering about the discoloring. Galileo's discoveries concerning the moon's surface caused his friend Cigoli to incorporate these ideas into his painting. Cigoli's painting "Assumption of the Virgin" (pictured at right) shows the Virgin Mary standing on a cratered moon, where before paintings depicted the moon as smooth.

The Church had a very large influence on Cigoli's art. This is clearly evident simply by the fact that all his known pieces are of religious scenes. In a time when Humanism was flourishing, Cigoli could very likely have painted other images and not have been out of place, but he chose to paint on a holy level, because of his Christain faith and the influence that it had on him. Though as in his "Assumption of the Virgin" he chose to incorporate scientific elements he learned from Galileo, but did not stray from his religious theme.

The Church affected Galileo in a big way as well. The common belief before Copernicus and even for a time after him, was that the earth was the center of the universe and that the planets and sun went around it. Copernicus, however, proposed the idea that the sun was the center of out universe. Galileo adopted this theory and through his studies began to adamantly preach it. The Church and other scientists such as Bacon, disapproved of this because it went against what they taught, and after some time Galileo was condemned as "suspected of heresy," and placed under house arrest until he died.

Cigoli, Galileo, and the Church all played a role in creating a huge impact on the world. Cigoli's influence on Galileo helped him to make discoveries and keep studying astronomy, which lead to his further enthralment in Copernicanim. Galileo's testaments to the Copernican theory brought opposition from the Church. Neither the Church nor Galileo changed their minds at the time. This was the first serious science versus religion conflict, and not the last.

These three separate, though related, components: Galileo, Cigoli, and the Church, brought the beginning of a still on going struggle between some aspects of modern science and religion. Today there is still controversy between religious beliefs and what is accepted as scientific facts or theories. The theory of Evolution being the most conflicting of them all, because unlike Galileo who only questioned one aspect in the religious belief system, evolution throws out the whole idea of the existence of God at all. From the simple beginnings of science and religious friction, has come the complete displacement of God through science, which once went along with religion.

Political Map Of Europe

Revolution

In order for a Revolution to occur it takes more then just one aspect of life to cause a big enough change. However, the most causative piece of PERSIA in revolution is Society. Society is, according to dictionary.com, "an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes." Therefore most all other aspects of PERSIA (politics, economics, religion, intellect, and aesthetics) fall in some way under Society, until as the cause for revolution behind society grows, these other aspects blow up into their own causes.

In the Middle Ages practically every person was Catholic. Society was based around Catholicism. People went to church together, and all had the same ideas about getting to heaven and what that meant for them. As the Renaissance started coming in things began to slowly change. Tim Parks in Medici Money expresses how the people began getting upset with how some of the Church men were dealing with society. How some church officials were said to have disregard their vows of chastity, or commit such sins as usury, when they were quick to punish lay men for such offenses. Perhaps it was not how church men were dealing with society, but the fact that they were in it so much that was upsetting. The problems that people and some clergy and officials of the Church had with the mistakes of other church officials and popes grew, until this piece of society exploded into it's own piece of the cause of revolution.

Social classes in society play a part in bringing about revolution. Jacques Barzun in From Dawn to Decadence, explains how in France there were two types of people, peasants and nobles. Eventually artisans and merchants were able to make more money and rise above the peasants, but because of the way of society, they could not rise into a very high social standing, even if they were more rich then all the nobles around, because they were not born into the title. Tim Parks also demonstrates the separation of class when he writes about how there were regulations on what people who were plebs could and could not wear, and even eat. Eventually such obvious separation of classes and regulations on the lower class becomes infuriating, for the plebs, and/or those who feel as though they are more fit to be in high noble classes but can't get there. These things will lead to another cause for revolt, leading to possible revolution.

When societies values are changing and the government, whatever type it may be, or a large amount of the population, is not going with these changes, it causes friction, and quite possibly revolution. In the American Revolution the people of America were tired of the way the king in England was not treating them how they wanted. The were tired of the excessive taxes, tired of not having the representation they wanted, tired of trade regulations, and were becoming more interested in more liberal, democratic and republic ideas. England was not compromising and neither were the Americans. Result? Revolution. In the French Revolution the low classes of France wanted change. For years the poor and middle class had wanted change and they didn't seem to be getting it from the nobles and the King, and then by the time they had a few nobles on their side pushing for them it was too late. They had gotten to the point where it was all or nothing, some change wasn't going to satisfy them, they wanted liberty, and they would kill for it. Result? Revolution. In the time of Medici Money, the values of people were changing. The people were becoming frustrated with funding all the petty wars going on, and as Humanism flowed in people's attachment to the church, though still rather strong, began to change, and art changed. The Church and the governing system were not quite ready for this, and clashes rose up. Result? Revolution. In Germany, Martin Luther's religious values were changing. He brought out completely different ideas about religion, one being "Solo Fidelis," by faith alone, another being "Solo Scriptora," by script alone, meaning only the Bible has authority. Needless to say the Church wasn't impressed, but Luther wouldn't change, and he gathered followers. Result? Well, Revolution of course.

There is no one cause for revolution. Revolution needs causes from multiple aspects of PERSIA to take place. When friction starts to happen in more than one aspect, that is when the beginning of a revolution is formed. When analyzing revolution to find the most causative part of PERSIA in revolution, Society is the root. The other parts of PERSIA are important because of society, because of how they affect the way people live and interact with each other, which is society. From within society each other aspect of PERSIA grows until it explodes into its own huge cause for revolution, but unless the other parts affect society, they will not bring about a revolution.