Category Archives: Philosophical and other fragments

 The rise of humanism and science in the age we call the Renaissance was in no way a disavowal of Plato and Aristotle. Indeed, the ancient world, the “classic” world was experienced anew, in a new light, a new attitude. … Continue reading →

Having read Spengler, and Toynbee, and referenced some others regarding the patterns in history, it strikes me someone ought to look at the evolution of the species in terms of intellectual diet. Thomas Aquinas seemingly provided a sound mixture of … Continue reading →

In the thirteenth century the mediaeval world crested, and Thomas Aquinas, the scintillate scholastic resident at the University of Paris, was its intellectual apex. His great contribution was to enlist Aristotle, the newly re-discovered “pagan philosopher”, for the service of … Continue reading →

Whensoever any great light ceases to shine, be it a civilization, a time of grace, or some lesser force, there is experienced a deep darkness, but as our faculties of sight and insight adjust, we begin again to detect the … Continue reading →

We are accustomed to looking upon the universities as the loci of scholarly investigation and consideration, but in the centuries before these institutions were born in the West scholarship found its hibernaculum in the great monasteries. The reflections of the … Continue reading →

St. Paul, while preaching in Athens, converted to the faith a certain Dionysius, a member of the once potent but still prestigious body that sat at the Areogapus (Ares’ Hill). Centuries later (circa 500AD), an anonymous scholar of notable abilities … Continue reading →