The Personality of Galileo (A 5 point guide)

The article will explore the personality type of Galileo and determine the major traits he possessed that enabled him to make the great discoveries he did, thus contributing to the overall process of the world.

What is the Personality type of Galileo?

Galileo is an INTP personality type which means he is an introvert, an intuitive person and a thinker and perceiver. These types are also known as ‘The Logician’ due to the following reasons or traits they possess:

• Inventive
• Unique Perspective
• Vigorous Intellect
• Rare (make up 3% of the population)
• Contributions to Science and History

The article will explore the personality type of Galileo in detail and look at different aspects of his life where his personality traits were of extreme importance in order to truly study what type of person the inventor was!

Galileo – A Unique Personality!

This section will study the personality type of Galileo keeping the MBTI types in perspective as well as the Big Five dimensions of personality.

Galileo – Quiet, Intuitive, A Thinker and Perceiver.

According to the MBTI test, Galileo is an INTP which is also known as ‘The Logician’. As said before, they are extremely inventive, love to challenge the status quo and make up a small percentage of the population thus well known for their contributions to the world. Such people are fond of studying the world to identify patterns and any loopholes which they can quickly amend or further study. 

The following aspects of Galileo’s MBTI type will be discussed here:

• Perception
• Emotions
• Strengths 
• Weaknesses

Perception

These people look at the world in an objective and structured manner that is separate from the views that people hold. They are willing to get to the truth and discover it using their time and effort. No wonder Galileo was able to make his countless discoveries during an era when it was quite difficult to challenge the status quo – it often meant death!

Logicians like Galileo can easily identify the gaps in an argument or the many possibilities that lie in a certain area – it was this trait that allowed Galileo to debate with famous thinkers such as Copernicus’s idea that the Earth was the center of the Solar System.

Emotions – Take It With A Grain Of Salt

People who have this personality type are not usually the best place to look for emotional support. They view everything in measurements and believe everything should be structured and objective. It’s possible that their disability to understand how people think and feel may result in such a rigid thought.

Galileo himself said that measure what is measurable and make measurable what is not. It reflects his focus on the objective world and possible lack of understanding for the human mind and body.

Strengths

People with this personality type are great analysts and abstract thinkers. They view the world as an interrelated system that has different parts and subsystems thus it can be broken down into pieces and closely examined. Maybe this explains why Galileo was able to understand how objects in Space truly functioned. Not to mention his discovery that objects, regardless of weight, fell at the same speed.

Galileo was imaginative and creative. It was this trait and quality of his that allowed him to make predictions about what was going on in Space without the equipment we have today. He was able to step out of the typical thinking framework that existed in his time and see the world with a new lens.

Galileo was pretty open minded. This meant that he was open to new ideas and experiences hence he was able to challenge the ideas and rules of those in power at that time. It meant he gave more weightage to intellect and reason rather than what the powerful said. It was this trait of his that allowed him to make progress despite the danger that lurked around him.

Enthusiastic is another trait that can well define Galileo. The excitement with discovering something new and profound is so much that despite their introverted personality they are desperate to make it known to others. It was this trait that pushed Galileo to share his discoveries with the world. He did this knowing he was in the hot seat for going against the teachings of the people who controlled the religious institutes at that time namely the Church.

Weaknesses

Logicians are usually known to be shy and quiet and thus it is difficult to get into their hearts and minds. Little is known about the personal life of Galileo however, it is known that he had 3 children with Marina Gamba who he never married. Also, his daughters later became nuns in a Church near Florence despite his history of problems with the institution. These events do raise questions with regards to how he was in terms of dealing and understanding his family.

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

Galileo was often absent minded and this can be seen when he reported about his poor health in multiple letters he wrote to his colleagues and daughters. People with such a personality become so indulged in what they are interested in that they forget many things that are vital to their existence and well being.

The Big Five Dimensions of Personality – Galileo.

This section of the article will investigate how Galileo was in terms of each of the Big Five Traits of personality!

Conscientiousness.

Galileo can be defined as someone who was fairly high in this trait. He liked to view the world in a structured manner and was very much focused on his work so much so that he forgot about his own health. They are extremely thoughtful as are introverts and like to engage in goal directed behaviours.

Extraversion.

In this trait, Galileo was low as he was more of a thinker and preferred alone time in order to reflect over his thoughts about how the world worked. With regards to how he was comfortable in terms of interacting much cannot be said but the nature of his work required him to be in much solitude. Maybe this is why his health deteriorated greatly as he was not around people otherwise they would have taken some measures to ensure he was well.

Agreeableness

No. Galileo was not agreeable. If he was, there was enough pressure on him to give up his views and not challenge the status quo. The man was extremely bold in the sense that despite threats from the Church, he refused to let go of his views and disagreed with previous thought about how the world functioned.

Neuroticism.

Galileo was not high on this however this conclusion can not be directly drawn. He was so absorbed in his work and so on that he did not have the time or energy to worry about different matters. Also, his personality was not that really took in the emotions people usually experience. People like him are composed, stable and look at things logically rather than emotionally. This can explain why he is low on this scale.

Openness.

Something Galileo can score very high on. He was very much open to change in the sense that he was a propeller of it in terms of the theories the world believed in and how the world should be studied; we should not only rely on teachings but observe and think with our mind. People with this trait are bent on trying new things and taking up challenges.

Conclusion

The article looked at the personality type of Galileo who was an Italian astronomer, physicist and inventor in terms of the MBTI test and the five big dimensions of personality. It related each trait with aspects from Galileo’s life in order to conclude what type of personality Galileo had.

If you’ve enjoyed the ”The Personality of Galileo” mentioned above, I would recommend you to take a look at ”Charles Darwin’s Personality” too.

Frequently Asked Questions: The Personality of Galileo.

References

https://www.dawn.com/news/701554/personality-galileo-galilei

https://academicarchive.snhu.edu/handle/10474/3530