God's Philosophers
Book description
This is a powerful and a thrilling narrative history revealing the roots of modern science in the medieval world. The adjective 'medieval' has become a synonym for brutality and uncivilized behavior. Yet without the work of medieval scholars there could have been no Galileo, no Newton and no Scientific Revolution.…
Why read it?
2 authors picked God's Philosophers as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
The popular view is that “mediaeval science” is a contradiction in terms, but this is… well, nonsense, really. The mediaeval world did not have “scientists” (the term was only invented in the 1830s), but it did have “natural philosophers” who studied the world about them with great care and interest.
True, they worked within a totally different framework from later scientists, and that made the kind of leaps forward that were made in the 17th century impossible. But nevertheless, they thought logically, examined carefully, reasoned well, and even sometimes experimented successfully.
James Hannam’s book is a great introduction to a…
From Nicholas' list on science and religion through the ages.
The Middle Ages in Europe weren't quite the festering stew of ignorance, superstition, and pointless theological arguments about how many angels could fit on the head of a pin as they have often been portrayed. In God’s Philosophers, James Hannam offers a refreshing challenge to the orthodox portrayal that all was darkness until the dawn of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. He also reveals how, far from being the enemy of science, religious belief actually stimulated scientific enquiry during this time. Moreover, while Isaac Newton may have once remarked that he had seen further thanks only to standing on…
From Kersten's list on to think differently about the history of science.
Want books like God's Philosophers?
Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like God's Philosophers.
Browse books like God's Philosophers
5 book lists we think you will like!
Interested in the Middle Ages, the history of science, and Europe?
10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about the Middle Ages, the history of science, and Europe.