In the aftermath of Galileo's condemnation for upholding the motion of the earth, Descartes decided that he would not publish The World, containing the condemned proposition, or anything else that might be controversial: “This so startled me that I almost resolved myself to burn all of my papers, or at least not to let anyone see them…. There are already so many plausible opinions in philosophy, which can be upheld in debate, that if mine do not have anything more certain and cannot be approved of without controversy, I never want to publish them” (AT I 270–72, CSMK 40–41). But he continued to work on his scientific treatises, and his friends urged him to reconsider his decision. Ultimately, he determined “that it was easy for me to choose some matters that, without being subject to much controversy nor obliging me to declare more of my principles than I desire, would nevertheless allow me to show quite clearly what I can or cannot do in the sciences” (AT VI 75, CSM I 149). Thus, in October 1635 Descartes decided to publish the Dioptrics, adding the Meteors to the project in November, and resolving to set off the two treatises with a short preface. The project took greater shape in March 1636 when Descartes reported that he would include some other works as well; as he said, he wished to publish anonymously “four Treatises all in French, and the general title will be: The Project of a Universal Science that can Elevate our Nature to its Highest Degree of Perfection. Then the Dioptrics, Meteors, and Geometry, in which the most curious Matters that the Author could have chosen to serve as proof of the universal Science he proposes are explained in such a way that even those who have never studied can understand them.”