Europe was in the long slumber of the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire was in tatters, and the Greek language was all but forgotten, until a group of twelfth-century scholars rediscovered and translated the works of Aristotle. His ideas spread like wildfire across Europe, offering the scientific view that the natural world, including the soul of man, was a proper subject of study. The rediscovery of these ancient ideas sparked riots and heresy trials, caused major upheavals in the Catholic Church, and also set the stage for today's rift between reason and religion.

In Aristotle's Children, Richard Rubenstein transports us back in history, rendering the controversies of the Middle Ages lively and accessible-and allowing us to understand the philosophical ideas that are fundamental to modern thought.

"An intellectual thriller. The real-life adventure of how the great thinker was found again. told with zest and excitement."

"With a lively, engaging style, ARISTOTLES CHILDREN is a remarkable book that illuminates the long-standing relations between faith and reason."

"Anyone who wants to understand where we are going in the great political struggles over religion, read this amazing story."

"Christianitys rediscovery of Aristotle through Muslim Spain...challenges generations today to reclaim the interrelatedness of reason, science and religion."

"A compelling account of how the rediscovery of Aristotle changed the way the Western world looked at humans, God, nature."

"[An] accomplished, entertaining history of ideas."

"Relevant and captivating."

"Stimulating and thought-provoking reading, overturning caricatures of scholastic philosophy while suggesting how its insights can be applied to the present."

Richard E. Rubenstein, a professor of conflict resolution and public affairs at George Mason University, is the author of When Jesus Became God. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.

PREFACE

PROLOGUE: The Medieval Star-Gate

ONE: "The Master of Those Who Know": ARISTOTLE REDISCOVERED

TWO: The Murder of "Lady Philosophy": HOW THE ANCIENT WISDOM WAS LOST, AND HOW IT WAS FOUND AGAIN

THREE: "His Books Have Wings": PETER ABELARD AND THE REVIVAL OF REASON

FOUR: "He Who Strikes You Dead Will Earn a Blessing": ARISTOTLE AMONG THE HERETICS

FIVE: "Hark, Hark, the Dogs Do Bark": ARISTOTLE AND THE TEACHING FRIARS

SIX: "This Man Understands": THE GREAT DEBATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS

SEVEN: "Ockham's Razor": THE DIVORCE OF FAITH AND REASON

EIGHT: "God Does Not Have to Move These Circles Anymore": ARISTOTLE AND THE MODERN WORLD

NOTES

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INDEX