Giordano Bruno: A Martyr, Yes, But Not for Science
On this ID the Future from the vault, host Andrew McDiarmid continues his conversation with historian of science Michael Keas about Keas’ ISI book Unbelievable: 7 Myths About the History and Future of Science and Religion. In Chapter 4 of the work Keas explodes the myth that Giordano Bruno was a martyr for science, as science popularizers such as Neil DeGrasse Tyson make him out to be.
Bruno was indeed burned at the stake in 1600 for disagreeing with the Church — which Keas heartily agrees was a bad move on the Church’s part. But Bruno was executed not for his view that we live in a vast universe with vast numbers of planets. Rather, he was burned for his religious view that an infinite God had to make the universe that way — and that everyone’s soul “transmigrates” to other planets after death, rather than meeting a final judgment. Tune into learn more from Keas about this and other details about the Bruno myth, and the true history it obscures.