|
Classical and Islamic Learning Enters Europe
Learning Evolves in Europe
Philosophy Meets Faith
Learning Transforms Higher Education
Learning and the Renaissance
New Age of Discovery
Learning Evolves in Europe
 In the 1100s, there was a new desire for
learning that developed in Europe, especially in the towns.
Farming was improving. Trade began to grow. So, towns along trade routes also
expanded.
Growing towns needed skilled artisans and merchants, and stronger governments.
They needed systems of law and people to keep records. Schools began to educate
the sons of wealthy merchants in more worldly subjects; church learning was not
enough. With the entry of newly translated books from Spain and Italy, the
quality of learning was gradually advancing.
Philosophy Meets Faith
Philosophy means “love of wisdom” in Greek. Aristotle, Plato, and other famous
Greek philosophers wrote and taught about reason, moral teachings, and human
behavior.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims share the important set of ideas set forth by
Greek thinking. Philosophers of all three faiths have discussed how Greek ideas
could be melded with the teachings of their scriptures.
They have written about the links between God-given reason and God-given
revelation and faith. People have spent their entire lifetime thinking, writing,
and teaching about such philosophical questions as how humans can balance the
urge to question with the necessity to believe.
 If the House of Wisdom had not preserved in Arabic classical works of Greek and
other ancient philosophers and scientists, they may have been lost to Europeans.
Muslims translated the works, wrote comments and explanations, and added their
own ideas.
The Spanish Muslim, Ibn Rushd, and the Jewish thinker, Maimonides, commented on
Aristotle. They both were born and worked in Islamic Spain. Other Muslim
philosophers -- such as al-Kindi, Ibn Sina (Avecinna, the medical writer), and
al-Ghazzali -- had also written about faith and reason. Their works were
translated into Latin. They stimulated Christian scholars to discuss reason and
faith.
The similarity of thought and ideas of Islam and Judaism with Christianity gave
way to meaningful translations and commentaries from such great thinkers as
Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas was a scholar of the 12th century. He wrote a famous
work on this subject, called the Summa Theologica. It contains ideas from Greek
and Arab/Muslim thinkers. Europeans and Muslims alike were attracted to
Aristotle and Plato's ideas.
Most importantly, the work of philosophers -- whether Greek, Muslim, Jewish, or
Christian -- offered solutions, which opened the way to scientific thought. They
made it acceptable to investigate the natural world, draw conclusions about it,
and attempt to discover the laws of nature.
 Learning Transforms Higher Education
The entry of new learning into Europe had a huge effect on higher education.
Students and scholars wanted to study these important new works. So, they
eagerly sought out teachers who had read them.
Europe developed colleges as centers for teaching and research in medicine, law,
mathematics, astronomy, and physics. Universities in Paris, France, and Oxford
and Cambridge, England, were founded. A college at Bologna specialized in law.
Another at Salerno taught new Arabic medical knowledge.
Changes in knowledge opened up new ways of thinking among educated Europeans.
Volumes of ancient wisdom, new learning, and literature filled libraries. This
historic period is known as the Renaissance, or "rebirth."
Learning and the Renaissance
 The discovery of classical and Arabic learning set off the search for works
“lost” after the fall of Rome. During the Renaissance, European scholars re-explored these works and brought a
fresh perspective on the past. They put aside the rigid, narrow thinking of the
Middle Ages. They found ways to build a better life and future, using these
ideas.
A group of philosophers, called humanists, improved the teaching of Latin, Greek,
Hebrew, and even Arabic. Their discovery of Greek and Latin writings led them to
travel, discuss, and debate.
 Despite changes taking place in universities, new knowledge reached only the
tiny group of Europeans who attended college. However, Gutenberg’s invention of
the printing press in 1450 set off an explosion of literature and learning.
Together with paper-making technology -- which
entered Europe through Islamic Spain -- book production became much easier and
cheaper. Books became trade goods sold on expanding trade routes all over
Europe.
Wealthy customers -- often merchants and aristocrats -- bought scientific books
to add to their libraries. Scientific books -- translated from Arabic two
centuries earlier in Spain -- now became available in print.
Authors with Latinized Arabic names appeared in newly printed books on such
subjects as medicine, astronomy, agriculture, metallurgy, and meteorology. They
included Avecinna (Ibn Sina), Geber (Jaber), Averroes (Ibn Rushd), and many
others.
Most of the works, which influenced teaching at European universities in the
1200s, now had an even greater impact. During the next 300 years, some of these
books continued to be printed and re-printed.
New Age of Discovery
The work of these Muslim, Jewish, and Christian scholars centuries earlier
sparked a new age of discovery in Europe.
The Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries resulted from the
transfer of knowledge five centuries before. Developments in scholarship and
education leading to the Renaissance also played an important role. And, in
turn, the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution brought about the Industrial
Revolution.
It took more than a few people in one part of the world to bring about the
changes leading to the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. History proves
that exchanges among many cultures over a very long period of time contributed
to modern inventions and scientific understanding. Ultimately, it is the result
of humanity's desire and cooperation to preserve and pass on knowledge from one
generation to the next.
Back to
Top |
