There is really no historical period called the “Dark Ages.” There was huge loss of knowledge after the fall of Rome, largely because the Western World forgot the Greek language, and with it, Greek learning.
That actually started to end way before the Renaissance, with Charlemagne’s crowning in AD 800. The High Middle Ages can’t be called the “Dark Ages” by any definition.
Dark Ages only in European terms. Things were still going strong in the middle east, south central Asia and China. On the other side of the globe were those Central / South American cultures.
Actually, the alleged Dark Ages weren’t nearly as bad as understood in the popular mind.
When the Roman Empire fell, the Catholic Church filled the power vacuum left by the fall of Rome. Rome fell for economic reasons and not because of the dolt, Edward Gibbons’ imaginative construct, with no basis in reality, that the Christians were the cause of the fall of Rome.
The Dark Ages became Dark because of the Enlightenment. They had a strong prejudice against the Catholics. In the infallible logic of the Enlightenment *Thinkers** (yuk yuk yuk) the Ages were Dark because the Church was the de facto government of Europe. The Enlightenment Thinkers ® used a lot of confirmation bias and motivated reasoning to come to their misinformed and prejudicial conclusions.
We like to carry on about all the wonderful things these folks did, which should fall into the sarcastic “Yeah, sure” category. We don’t balance those things out by bringing our attention to the many evils they let loose in this world. For example, they cleverly figured out that because the Europeans (at least the ones of the Aristocracy and Landed Gentry class) were superior to all other races. Yes, the Enlightenment invented racism which allowed for the enslavement of Africans and the Indigenous Americans. They also started the Industrial Age—which we are feeling the effects of in terms of global warming today. They came up of “progress” where any devious or even evil invention of man was hokey dokey. That’s why we think the Atom Bomb is so wonderful. Were it not for that attitude that anything the human mind comes up with is “progress” the inventors may well have taken a moral viewpoint concerning their creation.And of course, there is capitalism. While it had been around since the 1200s, it didn’t really take off until the Reformation. Adam Smith and others merely formalized it to make it morally acceptable. The end result? Global warming and the extinction of the human race.
I had an uncle who was Polish his last name was Jablonski. This was in the middle ‘50’s. In order get equal treatment within the Company he worked, he changed his last name to Appleton.Within 6 months he got a substantial promotion.
kaffekup over 3 years ago
AKA, The Renaissance. DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Newton, Galileo, Leeuwenhoek, and many others.
jimmjonzz Premium Member over 3 years ago
That’s a hopeful formulation.
Ignatz Premium Member over 3 years ago
There is really no historical period called the “Dark Ages.” There was huge loss of knowledge after the fall of Rome, largely because the Western World forgot the Greek language, and with it, Greek learning.
That actually started to end way before the Renaissance, with Charlemagne’s crowning in AD 800. The High Middle Ages can’t be called the “Dark Ages” by any definition.
docachon over 3 years ago
LOL… The Big Book of History, Fun Facts About History, and Amazing Stories All True.
dflak over 3 years ago
Dark Ages only in European terms. Things were still going strong in the middle east, south central Asia and China. On the other side of the globe were those Central / South American cultures.
morningglory73 Premium Member over 3 years ago
I hope that happens in November.
banjoAhhh! over 3 years ago
Actually, the alleged Dark Ages weren’t nearly as bad as understood in the popular mind.
When the Roman Empire fell, the Catholic Church filled the power vacuum left by the fall of Rome. Rome fell for economic reasons and not because of the dolt, Edward Gibbons’ imaginative construct, with no basis in reality, that the Christians were the cause of the fall of Rome.
The Dark Ages became Dark because of the Enlightenment. They had a strong prejudice against the Catholics. In the infallible logic of the Enlightenment *Thinkers** (yuk yuk yuk) the Ages were Dark because the Church was the de facto government of Europe. The Enlightenment Thinkers ® used a lot of confirmation bias and motivated reasoning to come to their misinformed and prejudicial conclusions.
We like to carry on about all the wonderful things these folks did, which should fall into the sarcastic “Yeah, sure” category. We don’t balance those things out by bringing our attention to the many evils they let loose in this world. For example, they cleverly figured out that because the Europeans (at least the ones of the Aristocracy and Landed Gentry class) were superior to all other races. Yes, the Enlightenment invented racism which allowed for the enslavement of Africans and the Indigenous Americans. They also started the Industrial Age—which we are feeling the effects of in terms of global warming today. They came up of “progress” where any devious or even evil invention of man was hokey dokey. That’s why we think the Atom Bomb is so wonderful. Were it not for that attitude that anything the human mind comes up with is “progress” the inventors may well have taken a moral viewpoint concerning their creation.And of course, there is capitalism. While it had been around since the 1200s, it didn’t really take off until the Reformation. Adam Smith and others merely formalized it to make it morally acceptable. The end result? Global warming and the extinction of the human race.
MuddyUSA Premium Member over 3 years ago
I had an uncle who was Polish his last name was Jablonski. This was in the middle ‘50’s. In order get equal treatment within the Company he worked, he changed his last name to Appleton.Within 6 months he got a substantial promotion.