Analyzing Galileo's 'Relative Truth'

Conflict can only be resolved by dispelling ignorance.
The last embers of Galileo’s candle shines brightly for a moment, casting a troupe of dancing shadows upon the cracked plaster ceiling. A sudden gust of wind from the window puts an abrupt end to the flame. Darkness shrouds his solar. ‘I have had enough light for tonight’s work,’ muses Galileo. The large desk at which he sits is now bare. Moments earlier, to his acquiescent silence, agents of the Catholic Church had relieved the great physicist of his writing, as they did every night. ‘If I cannot sate the hunger for knowledge of my peers and disciples, it is best that at least I sate my own. The new age of thinking can live on without me. A man must only peer through the telescope to observe that which I already have. It is plain to see.’ …show more content…
In theory such an event seems obvious, the belief with more evidence, more support should, in turn, envelope the lesser. However in practice, the presence of existing variables can cause a conflict to depend on other factors for a resolution. The presence of ‘Absolute truth’ – truth that is irrefutable no matter your position – will supersede ‘Relative truth’ – truth that depends on an individual’s position and beliefs – when resolving a conflict. Knowledge can also provoke fear by threatening the status quo whose beliefs that are being challenged, and engender conflict that will only be resolved by