When Christianity Was in Charge, This Is What We Got

[Patrick]

@TWReynolds

Also, I would argue that people of the past should be afforded the same dignity and charity we grant those alive.

Really? The despots of my parent’s generation get nearly universal disdain. Hilter, Stalin, Tito, Mao, Joe McCarthy,

[Eddie (Edward Robinson)]

@gbrooks9

Considering chemistry still followed the “4 Elements” school of metaphysics until AFTER the conclusion of the American Revolution… I’m not sure the view about the 1300s which you criticize is that far from the truth.

A good semi-popular history of the rise of modern science out of Christian culture is found in James Hannam’s God’s Philosophers. A more academic treatment can be found in Edward Grant’s The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages. Further descriptions can be found on Amazon.com.

[nwrickert (Neil Rickert)]

@Patrick

You have to be about 30 years younger than me (about 30 years old) to say that my generation screwed things up for the younger generation.

Our generation is still screwing up things for the younger generation. Our failure to act on global warming is but one example.

[Guy_Coe]

Given that I have a 22 year old son, that does not compute. Suffice it to say I’m just this side of 60. We’ll both be able to enjoy all the senior discounts before long!

[Patrick]

@Guy_Coe

Given that I have a 22 year old son, that does not compute.

I bet he has a lot to say on how the previous generation has screwed things up for his generation. First of all, he should complain about all those mutations you and his mom gave him in his genome. I know, you and his mom, couldn’t help it much as each of you got most of them from your parents who got them from your grandparents.

[TWReynolds (Taylor Reynolds)]

I was speaking in general terms. I’ll be more precise/specific in the future. Although I would sort of question this given some statistics on how Gen Z views history. Anyway, I have lots of questions about including McCarthy in that group, but I’ll save those. We are theoretically discussing science and not socio-political history

Also, as a 24 yr old, I don’t blame your generation as much. I think you were as duped as we have been. I more blame it on your parents generation and a few others near the start of the 20th century, but again a different conversation!

[Patrick]

@TWReynolds

how Gen Z views history.

I am very interested in how Gen Z views history. Please post.

[Patrick]

@TWReynolds

Also, as a 24 yr old, I don’t blame your generation as much. I think you were as duped as we have been. I more blame it on your parents generation and a few others near the start of the 20th century, but again a different conversation!

Oh but my parents generation are usually referred to as “the Greatest Generation”, the generation that endured the Depression and mobilized for World War II.

[TWReynolds (Taylor Reynolds)]

I guess I made an assumption about your age whoops I meant those born during WWII and currently in their 70-80ss so my grandparents.

Also, looking for the article I reference on Gen Z.

[Patrick]

@TWReynolds

I guess I made an assumption about your age whoops I meant those born during WWII and currently in their 70-80ss so my grandparents.

My generation are the Baby Boomers, children of the soldiers returning from WWII those born between 1946- 1961. I admit it, we really did screw things up. Sorry. I hope you can fix it. And by the way please keep our Social Security checks coming in from your paychecks as we plan to live well into our 90’s.

[John_Dalton]

@Eddie

A good semi-popular history of the rise of modern science out of Christian culture is found in James Hannam’s God’s Philosophers . A more academic treatment can be found in Edward Grant’s The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages . Further descriptions can be found on Amazon.com.

Sounds interesting. I hear this claim a lot, but I’ve never seen it substantiated. It seems to me that both “sides” in the larger debate (not to say this thread!) like playing the blame and claim game (not least in the OP article, urgh ) rather too much. My feeling has always been that it will be really difficult to pull out specific positive or negative items for aggrandizement or condemnation when the Christian world and the Western world were basically synonymous for so long, with little to no room for action outside the former context. I’ll put those on my list (along with the books @TWReynolds mentions above) and see what’s being said.

[jongarvey]

@Patrick

Each generation looks at its parent’s generation and can’t understand what they were thinking when doing the things that they did. I grew up in the 1960’s. The generations after the 1960’s have trouble understanding the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, going to the moon, the Cold War, the Draft, Woman’s right, Hippies, Woodstock, Jimi Hendricks and Janice Joplin. A friend of my son once asked me if everyone was on LSD back then.

The wise in each generation try to get into the minds of former generations and understand why they did what they did. They often turn out to have avoided our own mistakes.