The name Simplicio for the geocentrist was a thinly disguised insult. Ostensibly named after sixth-century philosopher Simplicius of Cilicia, the connotation with ‘simpleton’ was apparent and deliberate. In an artistic flourish, Galileo modelled aspects of the disagreeable and dull-witted Simplicio after his biggest detractor, conservative philosopher Lodovico delle Colombe, leader of a Florentine contingent of Galileo’s opponents, derisorily referred to by Galileo and his friends as the ‘pigeon league’.
Need to check on the names mentioned.
