Synopses & Reviews
Maybe the Dark Ages Werent So Dark After All
Here are some facts you probably didnt learn in school:
People in the Middle Ages did not think the world was flatin fact, medieval scholars could prove it wasnt
The Inquisition never executed anyone because of their scientific ideas or discoveries (actually, the Church was the chief sponsor of scientific research and several popes were celebrated for their knowledge of the subject)
It was medieval scientific discoveries, methods, and principles that made possible Western civilizations Scientific Revolution”
If you were taught that the Middle Ages were a time of intellectual stagnation, superstition, and ignorance, you were taught a myth that has been utterly refuted by modern scholarship.
As a physicist and historian of science James Hannam shows in his brilliant new book, The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution, that without the scholarship of the barbaric” Middle Ages, modern science simply would not exist.
The Middle Ages were a time of one intellectual triumph after another. As Dr. Hannam writes, The people of medieval Europe invented spectacles, the mechanical clock, the windmill, and the blast furnace by themselves. Lenses and cameras, almost all kinds of machinery, and the industrial revolution itself all owe their origins to the forgotten inventors of the Middle Ages.”
In The Genesis of Science you will discover
Why the scientific accomplishments of the Middle Ages far surpassed those of the classical world
How medieval craftsmen and scientists not only made discoveries of their own, but seized upon Eastern inventionsprinting, gunpowder, and the compassand improved them beyond the dreams of their originators
How Galileos notorious trial before the Inquisition was about politics, not science
Why the theology of the Catholic Church, far from being an impediment, led directly to the development of modern science
Provocative, engaging, and a terrific read, James Hannams Genesis of Science will change the way you think about our pastand our future.
Synopsis
PRAISE FOR THE GENESIS OF SCIENCEWith an engaging fervour, James Hannam has set about rescuing the reputation of a bunch of half-forgotten thinkers, and he shows how they paved the way for modern science.” Boris Johnson, Mail on Sunday
This book contains much valuable material summarised with commendable no-nonsense clarity
James Hannam has done a fine job of knocking down an old caricature.” Sunday Telegraph
Hannam, the liveliest of guides, makes enjoyable reading out of some seriously dusty history and difficult ideas.” Scotsman
Here, in short, is a readable book, aimed at an intelligent but igno-rant layman. Youll enjoy it.” Daniel Hannan MEP, Daily Telegraph
A very useful general survey of a difficult topic, and a robust defence of an unfairly maligned age.” Spectator
Synopsis
The Not-So-Dark Dark AgesWhat they forgot to teach you in school:
People in the Middle Ages did not think the world was flat
The Inquisition never executed anyone because of their scientific ideologies
It was medieval scientific discoveries, including various methods, that made possible Western civilizations Scientific Revolution”
As a physicist and historian of science James Hannam debunks myths of the Middle Ages in his brilliant book The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution. Without the medieval scholars, there would be no modern science.
Discover the Dark Ages and their inventions, research methods, and what conclusions they actually made about the shape of the world.
About the Author
JAMES HANNAM is a graduate of both Oxford and Cambridge where he studied physics and then gained a Ph.D. in the history of science. He lives in England with his wife and two children.