Abstract

We examine Galileo's theory of evidence as presented in his Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems. It is argued that for Galileo evidence not only had to be tied to the senses, but, that for purposes of evidential relevance, epistemologically significant experience is only of terrestrial objects and events. This account forms the first part of an argument for understanding Galileo as an instrumentalist. The second part of the argument consists in examining Galileo's views on the limits of knowledge. Given his conviction that we cannot know everything and his requirement that evidence be tied to terrestrial phenomena, claims for instrumentalism seem warranted.