Reading deeper of the philosophical interpretation of
civilization and the meaning of life will lead every reader to the time when
mankind advances its understanding with the scientific revolution and the
philosophical and religious concepts of the past. The author James Hannam created a compounded
literature from his knowledge in philosophy and of course the historical data
from the past until his present observation.
His observation further reflects to the studies of Yuval and Niall
Ferguson together with the impressive academic admiration from Simon Sebag the
writer of Jerusalem. James Hannam book
The Genesis of Science depicts the time when Scientific Revolution erupted in
the intellectual minds of the Renaissance people before. In his introductory part of his book Hannam projected the importance of the period
when civilization and world history named it as “Dark Ages”.
The Fundamental Philosophical & Scientific Concepts of the Vitruvian Man
During the middle ages information and scientific information to be specific is crucial to the surviving civilization. But according to history of mankind, men during the Dark Ages experience the deprivation of information and books for example. Maybe the scarcity of paper and the technology of paper and printing maybe is the reason to be blamed but the hunger of knowledge for innovation still exist in the minds of mankind in which the definition of reason and logic runs in the blood of every human being. As such, Hannam made a question for the sake of argument and discussion as to what really happened during the Dark Ages. Maybe during the Dark Ages information weren’t so dark after all. Ideas like the world was flat will let the reader of this blog to rationalize that this specific concept came from the minds of the philosophers and the scientific minds but actually it came from the men who studied the implications of classical Greek and Roman literatures. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church actively supported a great deal of science, but it also decided that philosophical speculation should not impinge on theology.
Pope Francis' Meeting with Stephen Hawking
James Hannam Oxford University
Great Philosophers like Thomas Hobbes
(1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704) revealed their philosophical
implications of their studies that will contradict to the religious values of
the Catholic Church. But noted that these ages are also the time when religion
and the offspring of Protestantism dominated Europe that in my point of view
Protestantism did not advance any knowledge from the main religion of the
Catholic faith but it simply defines rebellion and discontent mixed political
envy knowing that Catholic faith and religion dominated England and other
European Empires such as France. Thus,
Protestantism created more conflict in world civilization that politicians
until today are having a hard time in implementing governance in Europe
granting that the populace comprises both dominant religious beliefs. Thus, many Philosophers like Voltiare and his
fellow philosophies lauded progress in reason and science. They needed a narrative to show that mankind
was moving forward. Many ideas likewise are made public as to the idea that
there is an inevitable conflict between faith and reasons but all these
propagandas are made possible by group of people and philosophers of that time like
the Englishman Thomas Huxley (1825-1895) and the American John William to
divide the philosophical relationship of science and religion.
During the Middle Ages it laid the foundation
for the greatest achievement of western civilization and modern science. It is simply untrue to say that there was no
science before the Renaissance. Once
medieval scholars studied the classical Greeks, they created a system to allow
science to travel much further it had in the ancient age. Universities were the avenue of freedom or
academic freedom to be specific with the help of the royal interference to
guard and secure academic data and information during twelfth century. Institution like the Government of Rome and
the Catholic Church provided scientific research with a safe home. Christian theology and the Islamic scholars
alike are finding ways and meaning to the natural world and creation. From the fundamental definition of science
which means “knowledge” or “Scientia”.
Science encompassed all intellectual disciplines including politics,
theology, and philosophy. Theology was,
famously, the queen of all the sciences that is deemed relevant to the study of
civilization according to Hannam.
The concept and the study of natural
philosophy relates to the studies of the Vatican observatory (http://www.vaticanobservatory.va/content/specolavaticana/en.html)
in which it will lead to a conclusive notion that the deeper understanding of
theology is related to philosophy and science itself knowing that theology is
the queen of all sciences. The Vatican
observatory is an interesting part of theology science study that incorporate
the study of astronomy and the galaxy.
How people exist in this universe reflects our understanding in
philosophy and physical science related to theology. Relatively, the scientific activities of
Leonardo Da Vinci are well supported by the Church and the government knowing
that the church itself is open to the advancement of the understanding of
natural science and the philosophical theology of the Christian faith. Thus, during the middle ages Alchemy and
Astrology is famous to the civilization that one nation leader may believe as
to the knowledge output of such study.
Thus, the catholic church encourages more to their scholars to study the
universe and embrace science and not to close their minds in terms of the new
findings that will lead mankind to its outmost philosophical theology. At present, Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ was
appointed to be the director of Vatican Observatory in leading the many studies
that the Catholic Church accumulated from the past to present bridging the
theories of religious theologies and the physical world.
GOD by Morgan Freeman (A National Geographic Documentary)
Do you think that during the dark ages it is
really the enlightenment of the scholars and the world that the skepticism of
many towards modern science practice started to eliminate? Before men believes
in witchcraft and faith healing but today modern civilization believes in
medical science research as to the results and concrete data output from the
observation being conducted. GERBERT of
Aurillac (940-1003) POPE SYLVESTER II (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sylvester_II
) the most learned man in Europe was named and crowned Pope. During his time
many people in Europe are blessed with his goodness even to the similarities of
the studies of the ISLAMIC ASTROLABE.
Many Arabian alchemist are also interested and positively inclined to
the studies of GERBERT. Moreover, during
his time the encouragement of both religious groups come to a common realization
in terms of astrology and science. Many ancient
Philosophers also inspires the works of GERBERT in terms of the integration of
theology, faith, and science. ANICIUS
MANLIUS SEVERINUS BOETHIUS (480-525 AD) who carried out the integration of the
Aristotelian philosophy to the modern era.
He is also known as the Christian and Roman aristocrat who witnessed the
final collapse of classical civilization.
Pope Gerbert and his contemporaries has the cravings and appetite for
science that for them the concept of the “world views” is important because it
underlies other ideas, such as science, which would simply make sense without
it. The way we imagine our universe and
ourselves is often deep-seated, that in may ways we feel that the ideas we have
learned to believe are, in some sense, self-evident.
As Pope Gerbert predicted that modern secular
western “worldview” is naturalistic that if you compare that to the modern approach
of religion specifically the leading Catholic faith, we can conceive that
Catholic organization is always leading in civilizing the world basing from the
history of civilization. From the discoveries
of world religion and the continues studies of the universe and cosmology we
can conceive that Catholic Scientist are leading the discoveries of what lies
ahead between the philosophical definitions related to theology and religion
that is more naturalist in view of the modern world. Indeed, during the time of the Dark Ages men
like GERBERT find ways to answer the many questions that conflicts the
definitions of theology towards the natural logic and philosophical views of
humanism. Another myth that the earth is
flat was part of Christian doctrine in the Middle Ages appears to have
originated with SIR FRANCIS BACON (1561-1626).
But in reality, GERBERT and all his fellow men and women of any
education in 1000 AD were perfectly well aware that the earth was a sphere. At
the moment as well, I am reading the written text of David Wootton (THE
INVENTION OF SCIENCE) and Niall Ferguson (KISSINGER 1923-1968 THE IDEALIST)
that by their conceptual point of view I as a reader could find clearer view of
the vague philosophical definitions of the concepts pf POPE GERBERT leading to
the concepts of KISSINGER as an idealist and the concepts of GERBERT OF
AURILLAC in terms of the new age of enlightenment and the SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION.
What are the future and many challenges that Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ will face that will
unite the civilization knowing that by
the various religion before during the time of Napoleon religion was tainted
with politics that most people in Europe preferred to create their own beliefs
to sooth their political motives at that time.
But modern concepts will lead us to the understanding that the deeper study
and understanding of religion and theology will lead us to the vast study of
the universe and cosmology related to our origins and science as a whole. Reading the novel of Dan Brown the “Origins”
it will allow every reader to tickle his or her imagination in terms of the
philosophical questions dangling from the concepts of human origins and its
end. As the Catholic Astronomers are
still finding more meaning of the universe and the whole cosmology it is but
inspiring that Catholic education and scientific research are always leading
the holistic concepts and academic point of view of civilization from its
origin and humanities’ end.
Is Science the Answer to All Religious Questions and
Misunderstanding?
The Vatican Scientist Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ
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