Prior to Galileo and Darwin there was a deep religious creed, consecrated in the church that both Humans and the Earth were unique in the universe. God created man in His form and image, just like He created the Earth as the center of the universe, with the earth revolving around the sun and the planets and celestial bodies. Those two principles reflect the concept of the uniqueness and privilege of man and his environment, both considered as exceptional and unprecedented among creatures and celestial bodies. Any transgression of this faith was punished with ex-communication or burning at the stake. That is why Galileo’s statement about the sun being the center of the universe created such a large shock and he was brought to trial, forced to renege on his theory and retirement. A visitor of  Florence will find in its museum the first telescope lens Galileo made and through which he peered at the sky. It is worthy to note, everything that Galileo saw was seen before him by Arab and Moslem astronomers through sheer eye observation and mathematics. But that is another story.
Darwin, in turn, raised a storm when he said that humans evolved and passed through such development, animal stages and does not differ anatomically from other primates. This theory was a mind and eye opener to a new world, revolutionizing concepts, and challenging the heart of the beliefs and traditions. It also led to a better understanding of humans, his temperament and instincts. More importantly, however, Darwin spoke of the continuing process of evolution according to the process of survival and the survival of the fittest; as to the “in His Image” prototype, it did not exist. Galapagos Island was the inspiration of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and maintains its diversity till this day as a unique natural reserve where some giant reptiles, Darwin observed  still live.

Rarely have such a great coincidence between two great scientists, each of whom changed the course of science and civilization. In both cases, man was “downsized” and his uniqueness was ripped off him. "New Scientist" magazine put forth an interesting question: Who was more important Darwin or Galileo? The one who demonstrated that man evolved from a long line of primates? Or the one that showed that the earth was not the center of the universe?

If it was up to Darwin or Galileo to discuss the issue, The latter would consider himself the most important because he defended his convictions before one of the most formidable authorities in Europe: the Catholic church’s inquisition in 1633 and suffered a lot to prove his point. Whereas Darwin would say that the atmosphere surrounding his case was no less difficult and he was subjected to cruel irony, but he succeeded in escaping the differences, leaving others to argue about the theory. He did not promote his idea, but was left to reflect on the work itself. He also did not ask anyone to abandon the foundations of their convictions, as he did not sow doubt in the minds of others. “New Scientist” has polled a group of scientists and intellectuals to decide who served humanity more?

Lawrence Krauss, a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Arizona, thinks that humans knew before Darwin that man shared a lot of animal traits, but discovered with Darwin the continuous evolutionary chain linking man to his predecessors, showing how the laws of nature operate without coordinating to produce the diversity that surrounds us. In return, Galileo has taken us out of the realm of center of the Universe, and thus man fell from an incomparable position. In addition, Galileo has replaced the gift of divine knowledge by empirical   knowledge.
Paul Davis, a physicist, at the University of Arizona, sees that both scientists have made discoveries that have shaken confidence to the core,. Galileo said that the earth revolves around the sun, but what of its impact on everyday life? When the church rejected his views, Galileo did not lift a finger; whereas Darwin’s call shook humanity and the American society is still divided in that regard.

Philosopher Daniel Dennet, from Tufts University, feels that Darwin revealed human beings to be animals, without reference to the touch of the Creator. As for Galileo, he demonstrated to people that they live among billions of patches in one galaxy. Both examined the meaning of our lives.

Steve Jones, a geneticist at the University of Florida, says that despite the external similarity between humans and primates, everything in us is unique.. Darwin made us more human than we think. Galileo on the other hand, explained to us why the sun rises every morning. The advantage goes to him.
Matt Ridley, writer on evolutionary biology  has voted to Darwin, without hesitation, because humanity is today still deliberating on his theory. The majority of scientists believed that what distinguished the brain were genes. Today, we recognize that our brains are no bigger than a mouse’s. On the other hand, who cares which rock revolves around another!
It is clear that the dominant trend among the respondents tended to prefer the legacy of Darwin to Galileo’s, as if knowledge of human nature is more important than knowledge of his place in the universe.

2009 - ISSUE 82

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