An Inquiry Into Galileo’s Experimental-mathematical Method From Philosophical Point

The establishment of a science is often due to the creation of a new method, and the development of a discipline usually benefits from the adoption of new methods. The transformation of scientific method is bound to result in the revolution of science. A historical exploring of Galileo’s scientific method shows that his experimental-mathematical method is different from the ancient mathematical methodology of the Pythagorean-Platonism and the empiricism of scientific methodology emerged since late Middle Ages. It is neither pure mathematical method without experimental basis nor pure experimental method in want of scientific abstract and idealization, but the revival of ancient Greek mathematical rationality based on the development of Archimedes’s experimental rationality.Galileo stressed the importance of feelings and experiences in scientific cognition, holding that science in essence is science of experiment. Meanwhile, he also attached great significance to rational thinking, with a view that feelings and experiences are limited, and only by rational thinking can one achieve common conclusion. In his experimental-mathematical method, he extracted the main part of intuitive cognition from phenomenon and manifested it with the simplest mathematical form to establish the concept of quantity, and then adopted mathematical methods to derive another quantitative relationship which is experimental easily verified. Finally, he confirmed this quantitative relationship through experiments, thus achieved series of scientific discoveries and accomplished the innovating of modern scientific method, exerting a broad and far-reaching impact on the development of modern science.The rapid development of modern science starts from the time created by Galileo science, It is helpful to comprehend China ancient science’s defects or deficiencies in methodology studying the generation and development process of Galileo science and investigating the classical turning of his scientific method in the history of science. In addition, Galileo’s scientific method makes ancient philosophical cognitive method in an embarrassing situation, and the value of philosophic cognition is also facing serious challenges.