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Galileo's _Dialog..._



Greetings -

I'm teaching an intro to astronomy course and I'm going to be discussing
Galileo for a day. I recall hearing somewhere that Galileo used the names
(Salviati, Sagredo, Simplicio) as underhanded jabs against the geocentric
paradigm. Obviously, Simplicio denotes an idiot/simpleton, but I don't
remember
the translation of the other names.

From the preface to The Dialog it seems that he has borrowed the names
from real people. I'm not sure that I understand who those people were,
though.
Can anyone help me out here?

Thanks much -


Charles Figura
figura@wartburg.edu http://www.wartburg.edu/mcsp/figura
Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics
(319) 352-8373 "The only capital crime in nature is stupidity.
(319) 352-8606 (fax) The penalty is death, and it is administered
promptly, and without mercy."
-R. A. Heinlein