My guest today is the historian of science, Thony Christie. Thony is an independent scholar based in Germany who also the author of the superb Renaissance Mathematicus blog. His knowledge of the history of Early Modern science is vast and so he is the perfect person to give us a detailed overview of what happened and, more importantly, what did not happen in the dispute between Galileo and the Catholic Church. Thony and I spoke for almost two and a half hours on this subject, so I’ve edited our conversation into three parts of about 50 minutes each.

In this second instalment Thony talks about the career of Galileo, his sudden rise to fame and the beginnings of the controversy that would eventually lead to his trial before the Inquisition. Thony gives a lot of context to help us understand what actually happened and has a lot of fun debunking myths along the way.

Thony's detailed, 52 part series of articles on the beginnings of modern astronomy is also a great resource: “The Emergence of Modern Astronomy – A Complex Mosaic”.
And Thony has also provided an extensive recommended reading list.

My guest today is the historian of science, Thony Christie. Thony is an independent scholar based in Germany who also the author of the superb Renaissance Mathematicus blog.  His knowledge of the history of Early Modern science is vast and so he is the perfect person to give us a detailed overview of what happened and, more importantly, what did not happen in the dispute between Galileo and the Catholic Church. Thony and I spoke for almost two and a half hours on this subject, so I’ve edited our conversation into three parts of about 50 minutes each.

In this, the first part, we discuss the common myths that seem to be accepted by many people, and certainly by many atheists, about what happened in the Galileo Affair. Thony gives a detailed background to Galileo’s early career and the social and scientific context in which he worked.

Thony's detailed, 52 part series of articles on the beginnings of modern astronomy is also a great resource: “The Emergence of Modern Astronomy – A Complex Mosaic”.

And Thony has also provided an extensive recommended reading list. Finally, here is the translation of Cardinal Bellarmino's "Letter to Foscarini" which we discuss in our conversation and which is crucial for an understanding of the critical issues of the Church's approach to science and to the interpretation of the Bible.

What was the Great Library of Alexandria and why does it feature in some anti-religious rhetoric? In this second part of a two-part episode, we will look at how the Great Library came to an end. And then examine how the myth that it was "burned down from Christians" arose and why this story is nonsense.

What was the Great Library of Alexandria and why does it feature in some anti-religious rhetoric? In this first part of a two-part episode, we will examine some of the misconceptions about the Great Library, look at what it was and - more importantly - what it was not. 

And in the upcoming second part, we will explore how the Great Library came to an end and the enduring myth that it was burned down by a Christian mob.

A conversation with bestselling history author Tom Holland about his book "Dominion - The Making of the Western Mind".

You can buy a copy of "Dominion" here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/tom-holland/dominion/9781408706978/​

For a transcript of key parts of Tom's debate with A.C. Grayling on the themes of the book, with my critique of Grayling's claims about history, see https://historyforatheists.com/2020/03/the-great-myths-8-the-loss-of-ancient-learning/​

And to find your favourite platform for Tom and Dominic Sandbrook's podcast "The Rest is History" go to https://twitter.com/theresthistory​

Why do almost all scholars accept that a historical Jesus most likely existed? An overview of the reasons behind the consensus that there probably was a historical, human preacher behind the later stories of Jesus.

For more on Jesus Mythicism and its problems, see:
https://historyforatheists.com/jesus-mythicism/

Cambridge University historian Dr Seb Falk joins History for Atheists to discuss his book "The Light Ages" and misconceptions about science in the Middle Ages.

His book is available from various vendors and comes highly recommended:
https://www.sebfalk.com/the-light-ages​

Despite it having been repeatedly debunked by historians, some atheist activists continue to peddle the myth that the Medieval Church taught the earth was flat. But how did this myth arise and what did medieval people really know about the shape of the earth?

See also:
https://historyforatheists.com/2016/06/the-great-myths-1-the-medieval-flat-earth/​
https://historyforatheists.com/the-great-myths/​

And my detailed critique of the claims of "Aron Ra":
https://historyforatheists.com/2019/08/aron-ra-gets-everything-wrong/

Atheist activism has a serious history problem. Tim O'Neill, author of the History for Atheists blog, explains why he began tackling the errors about the history of religion made by many of his fellow atheists and why he created his video channel and this podcast to supplement the blog.