Final answer:
Galileo humiliated the philosophers by challenging their beliefs and providing empirical evidence that contradicted their views. He adopted the Copernican hypothesis, wrote in Italian, and made his ideas accessible to a wider audience.
Step-by-step explanation:
Galileo humiliated the philosophers by challenging and disproving their traditional beliefs about the universe. He adopted the Copernican hypothesis of a heliocentric solar system, which contradicted the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic theories supported by the Church authorities. Furthermore, Galileo wrote in Italian and lectured publicly, making his ideas accessible to a wider audience and undermining the philosophers' hold on knowledge.
His observations with the telescope, such as discovering moons orbiting Jupiter, provided empirical evidence that directly contradicted the philosophers' views. Due to his audacity and his threat to their authority, Galileo was tried by the Inquisition and ultimately condemned to house arrest. However, his work could not be suppressed or denied, and over time, it was accepted by the scientific community and even by the Catholic Church.