Well, there is some dispute whether he was “shown the instruments”. A historian named Gingerich apparently argues that the showing never took place. But, in any case, threat of torture is not torture—or at least it is not what comes to mind when the myth of torture is repeated. The myth is a falsehood, which, if repeated by someone who knows better, is usually referred to as a “lie”.
What details have you got about Galileo? I’d heard that he was shown the instruments of torture, and recanted at that point.
Well, there is some dispute whether he was “shown the instruments”. A historian named Gingerich apparently argues that the showing never took place. But, in any case, threat of torture is not torture—or at least it is not what comes to mind when the myth of torture is repeated. The myth is a falsehood, which, if repeated by someone who knows better, is usually referred to as a “lie”.
Sounds like mock executions—they’re not actually being executed...