12 July 2026

Carlo Rovelli, world-renowned Italian scientist, has written a book entitled, ‘There are Places in the World Where Rules are Less Important than Kindness’. It is a compilation of articles which he has written over the past fifteen years.

The first  is about, ‘Aristotle the Scientist’. His theory about objects of different weight falling to the earth at different speeds was debunked by Galileo Galilei. Rather than take Aristotle’s view as fact, he carried out a famous experiment from the leaning Tower of Pisa.

Rather than take Galileo’s view as containing a generalised truth, Rovelli writes, ‘Try dropping a glass marble and a paper cup from a balcony.’ As a consequence of this experiment, it will become clear that the glass marble falls much faster which is what Aristotle had said!

He is challenging the bad press which grew up around Aristotelian science as a result of Galileo’s scathing attacks upon him. Whilst it it true that the science of Aristotle is miles away from the science of Galileo and Newton, it is also true that the science of Newton is miles away from the science of Einstein.

It is Rovelli’s view that, ‘Newton’s physics is perfectly recognizable as an approximation of Einstein’s general relativity; Aristotle’s theory is perfectly recognizable as an approximation contained within the theory of Newton.’

This leads Rovelli to make a very significant point about borders. ‘The borders between theories, disciplines, eras, cultures, peoples and individuals are remarkably porous,’ he writes, ‘and our knowledge is fed by the exchanges across this highly permeable spectrum….To mix, not to keep things separate.’