Do you think that the Italian scientist Galileo received the honors and memorials you think are due him? Why or why not?

(Asked on Quora)

My Answer.

Yes he does. Very much so. Together with Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, Galileo Galilei (1564–1616) is the most influential physicist of all time. Here is a list of his contributions

Source: thoughtco.

1. Articulated the concept of Inertia - that property of matter that resists a change in motion. This understanding forms the very foundation of Newton’s First Law of Motion. Newton would make use of the notion of inertia to formulate the famed Newtonian synthesis that was the final blow for the long held Geocentric model.
2. He is widely considered to be the Father of Experimental Physics. Without empirical evidence science is ultimately flying blind. Galileo’s emphasis on such methodology of action serves as the cornerstone of modern science. Take note theorists going off on mathematical tangents.
3. Was the first to see the four large Jovian Moons (Gannymede, Io, Europa and Callisto) plus the rings of Saturn (identified in 1610). He used his own version of a refracting telescope to do so. Galileo also studied the details of the phases of Venus. The latter provided some evidence in support of the Heliocentric model. The former showed that it is possible for bodies to orbit a structure that isn’t the Earth.
4. Used slopes and inclined planes to work out the acceleration due to gravity showing that it is independent of mass. This contradicted the Aristotelian understanding of the phenomenon. In addition he was able to show that the distance traversed by a uniformly accelerated body is directly proportional to the time interval of travel squared.
5. Challenged the church orthodoxy of the period regarding the geocentric model in writing that was understandable to the lay person. This was an important precursor toward the early development of the scientific enlightenment. He paid for this during his lifetime by being placed under house arrest for heresy.
6. Showed that the Period of the pendulum is independent of its amplitude of oscillation but is dependent on the length of the pendulum string.

In short Galileo deserves every ounce of credit that he has received not just in the practice of science but in the philosophy as well.