Mario Livio is an internationally known astrophysicist, a bestselling author, and a popular speaker who has appeared on The Daily Show, 60 Minutes, and NOVA. He is the author of the bestsellers The Golden Ratio, Brilliant Blunders, and Galileo. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
"One would have hoped that the Galileo story could be treated just
as the fascinating history this book makes clear it is-but we
really need this story now, because we're living through the
next chapter of science denial, with stakes that couldn't be
higher." -- Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game
Begun to Play Itself Out?
"Every so often a reason arises to retell the life of Galileo. This
year, as Mario Livio so forcefully demonstrates in Galileo and
the Science Deniers, the 400-year Galileo Affair casts an
urgent new light on the current climate crisis." -- Dava Sobel,
author of Longitude, Galileo's Daughter, and The Glass Universe
"Few historical episodes are more fraught with subtleties, ironies
and ambiguities. To tell it properly requires an unusual breadth
of knowledge and the gifts of a great storyteller. Fortunately,
Mario Livio is fully equipped for the task. . . . [Livio] tells the
story of Galileo in a perceptive, illuminating and balanced way."
-- Stephen M. Barr * The Washington Post *
One of Symmetry's Top Physics Books of the Year
"Astrophysicist Mario Livio couldn't be more timely in this new
treatment of the mind and methods of the founder of modern
science." -- Mike Perricone * Symmetry Magazine *
"Galileo and the Science Deniers delivers a fresh
assessment of the life of a scientific legend. . . . Livio also
set out to produce a biography more accessible to a general reader
than the typical scholarly tomes. And he succeeded. His
commentaries comparing Galileo's time to today's are weaved into an
engagingly composed and pleasantly readable account." -- Tom
Siegfried * Science News *
"Livio has added to the canon an accessible and scientific
narrative, in which a profound love for Galileo shines
through." -- Alison Abbott * Nature.com *
"Livio's gift for clear and cogent writing . . . makes this
a welcome addition to the already voluminous literature on Galileo
and the Church." -- Laurence A. Marschall * Natural History *
"[An] admirably clear and concise account of the Galileo
affair." -- David Aaronovitch * The London Times *
"Livio beautifully describes both Galileo's work and his struggle
for intellectual freedom. Livio is perfectly placed to do this. An
astrophysicist himself, he has worked on a
great-great-great-grandchild of the telescopes that Galileo
employed, the Hubble space telescope. Seen through the eyes of an
active researcher, Galileo's discoveries appear, not as
historical facts, but as live components of a scientific effort
that continues today. . . . A gripping story anyone can enjoy."
-- Marianne Freiberger * Plus Magazine *
"An able scientist himself, Livio is well qualified to show how
denial threatens intellectual freedom as well as health and
survival." -- Brian Morton * Times Literary Supplement *
"Livio illuminates the parallels between the deniers of Galileo's
scientific findings and those today who ignore the evidence of
climate change. Intriguing and accessible, and packed with
clever insights, Livio's latest gives readers plenty of think
about." * Publishers Weekly *
"The most compelling reason to read this biography is the
relevance of Galileo's famous political and religious struggles to
today's problems. . . . In comparing the culture that condemned
Galileo to our own, Livio writes that the mindset that leads to
nonscientific decrees . . . also prevails in the United States to
this day." -- Joseph Peschel * America *
"The latest from astrophysicist Livio features the author's unique
insights as well as his concern about the current fashion for
giving ideology priority over truth. . . . The author truly excels
in his explanations of Galileo's findings as well as his
descriptions of the culture of Renaissance Italy. . . . An
expert life of a giant of science." * Kirkus Reviews *
"Mario Livio's Galileo is a beautifully written,
enthralling, and insightful history of a courageous genius.
Today scientists and indeed all of us have a much less fraught, but
otherwise not that dissimilar task to struggle with those who deny
evolution, climate change, and free thought generally. A
fascinating read." -- John Allen Paulos, professor of mathematics,
Temple University and the author of Innumeracy and A Numerate
Life
"Mario Livio is ideally qualified to interpret Galileo's ideas
and philosophy. As a bonus, he offers parallels between 17th
century interactions between science, religion and the public, and
those we encounter today. This fascinating book deserves wide
readership." -- Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal for the United
Kingdom, and author of On the Future: Prospects for Humanity
"Livio argues that the distinction we make between the humanities
and the sciences is false and damaging, and that Galileo
illuminates a better balance between the two. A refreshing
perspective on Galileo's legacy." * Booklist *
"It is fashionable to invoke Galileo on both sides of any debate to
claim the mantle of truth. In Galileo and the Science
Deniers, Livio teaches us the method by which Galileo found the
truth-a process more powerful than
rhetoric-examination. Today more than ever we need to
understand what made Galileo synonymous with finding the
truth." -- Adam Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics
"Galileo and the Science Deniers is a brilliant, highly
readable account of Galileo's life and accomplishments. The
book is a joy to read and provides an accurate and vivid
reconstruction of the immense intellectual contributions of
Galileo. Livio thoroughly succeeds in illustrating the many facets
of Galileo's personality, and he offers wise and insightful
reflections upon the necessity to overcome the division between the
humanities and the sciences." -- Michele Camerota, Galileo scholar,
and author of Galileo Galilei e la cultura scientifica nell'eta
della Controriforma
"This is an insightful, riveting and deeply researched
biography of Galileo Galilei that reveals not just his complex
character but also how he was truly intellectually radical and well
ahead of his time." -- Priya Natarajan, Professor, Departments of
Astronomy & Physics, Yale University and author of Mapping The
Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos
"To better understand the perilous threat of science denialism
today, Mario Livio looks back at the scientist who faced the
greatest denial of them all: that the Earth revolves around the
Sun. By offering us an astrophysicist's unique perspective on
Galileo's life and fate, this engaging work is a must read for
anyone who values the contributions of science to society." --
Marcia Bartusiak, author of The Day We Found the Universe and
Dispatches from Planet 3
"Scientists have typically been fascinated and inspired by
Galileo's scientific achievements and by his struggle with the
Catholic Church. In this book, astrophysicist Livio does an
excellent job of conveying such fascination and inspiration in a
manner that can be appreciated by scientists and nonscientists
alike. An important lesson he emphasizes is Galileo's bridging
of the gap between the two cultures, namely the sciences and the
humanities." -- Maurice A. Finocchiaro, author of On Trial for
Reason: Science, Religion, and Culture in the Galileo Affair
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