“The Truth about Science in the Middle Ages”

Last updated on: September 5, 2018 at 9:53 am by Dan Peterson

“The Truth about Science in the Middle Ages” 2018-09-05T09:53:00-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Great Court at Trinity College, Cambridge, the alma mater of Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Isaac Newton, Niels Bohr, James Clerk Maxwell, Ernest Rutherford, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and an illustrious host of others (Wikimedia Commons)

I’ve just begun reading James Hannam, The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution (Washington DC: Henry Regnery, 2011). Hannam earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at Oxford University and a doctorate in the history of science from the University of Cambridge.

Here are a few notes from his introduction to the book, which is titled “The Truth about Science in the Middle Ages”:

“Writers use the adjective ‘medieval’ as a synonym for brutality and uncivilized behavior. Recently, the word has affixed itself to the Taliban of Afghanistan, whom commentators routinely describe as throwbacks to the Middle Ages, if not the Dark Ages.” (xiv)

“Closely coupled to the myth that there was no science worth mentioning in the Middle Ages is the belief that the [Catholic] Church held back what meager advances were made. The idea that there is an inevitable conflict between faith and reason owes much of its force to the work of nineteenth century propagandists such as the Englishman Thomas Huxley (1825-1895) and the American John William Draper (1811-1882). Huxley famously declared: ‘Extinguished theologians lie about the cradle of every science, as the strangled snakes beside that of Hercules.'” (xiv)

“Contrary to popular belief, the Church never supported the idea that the earth is flat, never banned human dissection, never banned the zero, and certainly never burnt anyone at the stake for scientific ideas.” (xv)

“The most famous clash between science and religion was the trial of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) in 1633. Academic historians are now convinced that this had as much to do with politics and the pope’s self-esteem as it did with science.” (xv)

“The denigration of the Middle Ages began as long ago as the sixteenth century, when humanists, the intellectual trendsetters of the time, started to champion classical Greek and Roman literature. They cast aside medieval scholarship on the grounds that it was convoluted and written in ‘barbaric’ Latin. So people stopped reading and studying it. The cudgels were subsequently taken up by English writers such as Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), and John Locke (1632-1704. The waters were muddied further by the desire of these Protestant writers not to give an ounce of credit to Catholics. It suited them to maintain that nothing of value had been taught at universities before the Reformation. Galileo, who thanks to his trial before the Inquisition was counted as an honorary Protestant, was about the only Catholic natural philosopher to be accorded a place in English-language histories of science.” (xv)

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 18, 2018

On having relationships with real people

Next Post

July 18, 2018 Politisches

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What city was the Apostle Paul imprisoned in for two years?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Corinth Ephesus Jerusalem Rome