Lawrence Badash Memorial Lecture 2026 : “Reading Galileo’s Letters: Experiments in Friendship, Knowledge, and Community” by Paula Findlen

Paula Findlen, Ubalto Pierotti Professor in History and Italian Studies at Stanford University will be delivering The Lawrence Badash Memorial Lecture of 2026. Her talk will be on Tuesday, January 27 at 4:30 pm in the McCune Room, HSSB 6020. Her talk is titled:

 

Abstract:

Galileo’s letters are an essential archive for understanding his life and work, but what exactly was their role in the evolution and presentation of his science?  This talk explores the instrumental role of Galileo’s letters in the production and communication of scientific knowledge and the evolution of the scientific community with which he engaged.  It also explores the role of letters in the controversies surrounding his science and discusses why we should see Galileo’s letters as one of his important experiments.