Imagine Nicolas Flamel Present in Galileo's Trial

Imagine if Nicolas Flamel and several historical individuals who were alive at different times and at different economic, social, political, religious, and scientific circumstances were present in Galileo's trial against the Church. On March 5, 2015 in Kathy Stuart's HIS 4B class, students will reenact this special kind of Galileo's trial. If we recall, the circumstances of Galileo's trial was that he both believed and published the idea that the sun was the center of the universe (heliocentrism) as opposed to the traditional belief that Earth was the center instead (geocentrism). We now know both views to be untrue since the sun is the center of the Solar System, a microscopic community of planets within the infinitely vast universe. However, Galileo, using the skills and tools available during the time, supported a view that defied a traditional view that permeated for a couple thousands of years. The Church obviously believed Galileo's belief was heresy, but what about people of different historic background.  Would Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Emperor Charles V, Voltaire, Nicolas Flamel, or Isaac Newton, given that such individuals somehow miraculously gathered together in the trial, have supported Galileo's view? Going over the positions of each of these individuals would defeat the entire purpose of this whole blog. I will only go over Nicolas Flamel's position since he is our main protagonist.

As one of the pre-1543 scientist faction for HIS 4B's in-class Galileo Trial, Nicolas Flamel lived in a time that was rooted to the idea that Earth was the center of the universe. Flamel was neither a philosopher like Plato nor a theologian and astrologist like Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. Instead, he was a Catholic alchemist believed to have discovered the Philosopher's Stone. The overall consensus during A05 discussion section (the pre-1542 scientists) was that the group as a whole would likely support Galileo's position despite living during a time in which geocentrism was the popular view. The reason being was that so long Galileo scientifically proved his idea, the pre-scientists would advocate any attempt for higher knowledge or better understanding. However, individually, some of the scientists, like Nicolas Flamel, might find no reason to support Galileo. According to his legend, Flamel devoted his alchemical studies to the discovery of the Philosopher's Stone, an object rooted in the magical beliefs of the time. Unlike other sciences like philosophy and astrology, alchemy has more emphasis on the magical aspects, which is considered implausible in terms of modern science. We can think of anything related to magic as "traditional" just as geocentrism was to heliocentrism. Furthermore, Flamel was Catholic and geocentrism had been a universal belief for Catholics for several centuries. Because of this, Nicolas Flamel, whom I would reenact as in the in-class Galileo Trial, would argue against Galileo despite my whole group, the pre-1543 scientists, arguing for the opposite as a whole.