The Difference Between the Modern and Medieval Frame of Mind
I would like to recommend two books about Medieval Literature that I have enjoyed reading over the past 35 years (*). Some might find it unusual that a professor of electrical engineering would take an interest in the medieval model of the universe. After all, what value could there be in exploring a system of thought filled with outdated notions, misconceptions, and even silly ideas?
Of course, reading about the medieval worldview will not change anyone’s mind regarding our current scientific model. However, it can provide valuable insight into how ideas evolve and how intellectual progress unfolds over time.
The author of these books makes it clear from the outset:
“I have made no serious effort to hide the fact that the old Model delights me as I believe it delighted our ancestors. Few constructions of the imagination seem to me to have combined splendor, sobriety, and coherence in the same degree. It is possible that some readers have long been itching to remind me that it had a serious defect; it was not true. I agree. It was not true. But I would like to end by saying that this charge can no longer have exactly the same sort of weight for us that it would have had in the nineteenth century. We then claimed, as we still claim, to know much more about the real universe than the medievals did; and hoped, as we still hope, to discover yet more truths about it in the future. But the meaning of the words ‘know’ and ‘truth’ in this context has begun to undergo a certain change.” ?
"One of my favorite quotes from The Discarded Image (The Influence of the Model) is:
"At his most characteristic, medieval man was not a dreamer nor a wanderer. He was an organiser, a codifier, a builder of systems. He wanted "a place for everything and everything in the right place." Distinction, definition, tabulation were his delight. Though full of turbulent activities, he was equally full of the impulse to formalize them."
It is easy to see that, without realizing it, he was already paving the way for modern discoveries.
The key lesson regarding all models is that they should be respected, but none should be idolized.
Finally, to illustrate the comparison between the characteristics of medieval and modern individuals, I have compiled the table below (with the help of AI). The table is based on characteristics drawn from two books by C.S. Lewis: The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature and Image and Thought in the Middle Ages."
Cheers,
Paulo
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(*) ?The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval, and Renaissance Literature and Image and Thought in the Middle Ages (from Studies in Medieval & Renaissance Literature), by C.S. Lewis.