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Michael Keas: Faith, Science, and the Phases of Venus

Photo: A replica of Galileo's telescope, via Wikimedia Commons.

Science historian Michael Keas gave a very interesting presentation at the recent Westminster Conference on Science and Faith. It’s up now on YouTube. His theme: “Scientism Is Unbelievable.” That is, he emphasizes, scientism — the dubious belief that science and science alone has all the answers — not science. A highlight of the talk is a detailed and lively analysis of the Galileo Myth, a classic feature of the larger myth that pits science and religion against each other as continually warring parties. Dr. Keas explains, among things, the role that Venus with its phases, like those of our Moon, played in advancing astronomy into the modern age. Galileo, in 1610, was the first to observe those phases. Watch and enjoy: