EXHIBITS: Trial of the (17th) Century
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Website review and historical commentary (Level 5 by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
OpenAlex W4239407476 · doi:10.1126/science.308.5730.1847c
What was done
This article provides a brief review and description of an educational legal history website created by law professor Douglas Linder, which curates primary source documents and historical context regarding famous trials, including Galileo Galilei's 1633 trial by the Roman Inquisition.
What was found
No quantitative empirical research was conducted, and no statistical data are reported. The piece describes available historical resources hosted on the featured website, including documents from Galileo's trial, excerpts of his *Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems*, papal condemnation records, and recantation texts, alongside summaries of other historical science-related trials such as the 1925 Scopes trial and the 1951 Rosenberg case.
Why it matters
It serves as a resource pointer for educators, historians, and researchers seeking accessible primary source documentation on key historical conflicts between science and institutional authorities.
Limits
The record is a brief editorial notice and website recommendation rather than an original historical or empirical study. It contains no formal methodology, systematic analysis, or primary quantitative data.
Cited by
- supports Galileo Galilei was tried by the Roman Inquisition for promoting heliocentrism, forced to recant, and sentenced to lifelong house arrest.