
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
15.1 Galileo's Social Betrayal: Brecht's Historical Fiction (1947/1955) 15.1 Galileo's Social Betrayal: Brecht's Historical Fiction (1947/1955)
-
15.2 Galileo's Blame for “Science versus Religion”: Koestler's Fictional History (1959) 15.2 Galileo's Blame for “Science versus Religion”: Koestler's Fictional History (1959)
-
-
-
-
-
-
15 Secular Indictments: Brecht's Atomic Bomb and Koestler's Two Cultures (1947–1959)
Get access-
Published:November 2005
Cite
Abstract
This chapter explores how Galileo's trial was viewed by secular, socially conscious, left-leaning literary intellectuals in the middle part of the twentieth century. The first thing that Bertolt Brecht's play needs clarification is the issue of truth or accuracy from a historical or factual point of view versus plausibility or effectiveness from a dramatic, theatrical, or fictional point of view. One question about the issue of Galileo's crime involves historical truth versus dramatic plausibility. There is in modern culture a separation between science and religion in Arthur Koestler's account of Galileo's trial. It is perhaps no exaggeration to say that Koestler's criticism is the most serious indictment of Galileo since the original trial. Koestler's account of the Galileo affair displays considerable ingenuity, apparent plausibility, literary readability, interdisciplinary understanding, and a deep and wide-ranging cultural sensitivity.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
August 2024 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.