Home-made science project (inertia experiment additionally considered as the "spirit of free inquiry in conflict with official ideology")

The Mokuba situation:
- A girl, wide not deep, stands on a wheel balanced on a pole on a trundle cart, a toy resembling the carts used to transport heretics to their deaths.
-X ribbons are tied to vertical wires suspended between horizontal wires anchored to opposite walls.
-A unidirectional air source blows the ribbons and proportionate to her depth, 1/4 inch, the girl creates minimal resistance and at this point only shivers.
Physical principals which inform the Mokuba situation:
Newton's first law of inertia (derived from Galileo) states that an object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion remains in motion, until acted upon by some external force. Thus inertia can be described as the natural tendency of objects to resist changes to their state of motion. Historical parallels in the life of Galileo ( 1564 - 1642) A great man is forced by the power of the Inquisition to abjure one of his most important discoveries: Towards the end of his career Galileo was warned by the Inquisition not to publish articles that contravened church doctrine. Brought before the Inquisition in 1633 he recanted. His subsequent imprisonment - confined to his home and monitored by the clergy - allowed him time to think and write and he finished his Discorsi which were smuggled out of Italy and published in Holland.
Indirect parallels in moral philosophy:
In the Mokuba situation,the air current can shatter the girl if she resists,since she is small in the widest dimension and tiny in the other (3 " x 1/4").If she does not hide, but stands directly in the face of the pressure and the bright interrogatory lights, she will break. This is her dilemma - moral inertia can set in.
What is the main argument for compromise?
In the "Life of Galileo" (Brecht) there is a scene near the end of the play where an ex-student of Galileo (Andrea) has come to say goodby and speak of his recantation.
Andrea: - "Your hands are stained" we said. You're saying,: "Better stained than empty".
Galileo: Better stained than empty. Sounds realistic. Sounds like me. New science, new ethics.
What is the main argument against compromise in a great individual?
Galileo:..As a scientist, I had a unique opportunity. In my day astronomy emerged into the marketplace. Given this unique situation, if one man had put up a fight it might have had tremendous repercussions. Had I stood firm the scientists could have developed something like a Hippocratic oath, a vow to use their knowledge exclusively for mankind's benefit. As things are, the best that can be hoped for is a race of inventive dwarfs who can be hired out for any purpose.
What is the main argument against compromise for this girl (wide not deep)?
It's harder to say. The only thing that rests on it is her integrity and she might be able to come to an accommodation to life without it. It's hard to say.
Why is the experiment camouflaged since the ribbons of the Home-made Science Project blend with the Mokuba ribbons?
Because almost all of these crisis go unnoticed by the rest of the world.

Condemnation of Galileo

Abjuration of Galileo

Thanks to: Helene Smagala, the Mokuba staff, Yael Brotman and Philip Anisman