The Light Ages: A Medieval Journey of Discovery
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- Author：Seb Falk
- ISBN：014198967X
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Summary
The Middle Ages were a time of wonder。 They gave us the first universities， the first eyeglasses and the first mechanical clocks as medieval thinkers sought to understand the world around them， from the passing of the seasons to the stars in the sky。
In this book， we walk the path of medieval science with a real-life guide， a fourteenth-century monk named John of Westwyk - inventor， astrologer， crusader - who was educated in England's grandest monastery and exiled to a clifftop priory。 Following the traces of his life， we learn to see the natural world through Brother John's eyes: navigating by the stars， multiplying Roman numerals， curing disease and telling the time with an astrolabe。
We travel the length and breadth of England， from Saint Albans to Tynemouth， and venture far beyond the shores of Britain。 On our way， we encounter a remarkable cast of characters: the clock-building English abbot with leprosy， the French craftsman-turned-spy and the Persian polymath who founded the world's most advanced observatory。
An enthralling story of the struggles and successes of an ordinary man and an extraordinary time， The Light Ages conjures up a vivid picture of the medieval world as we have never seen it before。
In this book， we walk the path of medieval science with a real-life guide， a fourteenth-century monk named John of Westwyk - inventor， astrologer， crusader - who was educated in England's grandest monastery and exiled to a clifftop priory。 Following the traces of his life， we learn to see the natural world through Brother John's eyes: navigating by the stars， multiplying Roman numerals， curing disease and telling the time with an astrolabe。
We travel the length and breadth of England， from Saint Albans to Tynemouth， and venture far beyond the shores of Britain。 On our way， we encounter a remarkable cast of characters: the clock-building English abbot with leprosy， the French craftsman-turned-spy and the Persian polymath who founded the world's most advanced observatory。
An enthralling story of the struggles and successes of an ordinary man and an extraordinary time， The Light Ages conjures up a vivid picture of the medieval world as we have never seen it before。
Reviews
Lexi
，
I liked this book because it was well researched and the author clearly knows what he is talking about。 I learned some cool things: new （old） ways of doing math， how ideas spread from India and the Middle East to Europe （Arabic numbers are actually from India！）， how much science and learning and university scholarship were entwined with the church。 But there were some things that I didn’t really care for: the tour of medieval science through a specific person， whose life story was largely based I liked this book because it was well researched and the author clearly knows what he is talking about。 I learned some cool things: new （old） ways of doing math， how ideas spread from India and the Middle East to Europe （Arabic numbers are actually from India！）， how much science and learning and university scholarship were entwined with the church。 But there were some things that I didn’t really care for: the tour of medieval science through a specific person， whose life story was largely based on speculation; the title “Light Ages” meant as a counter to “Dark Ages，” when the majority of dates in this book are indeed medieval but not really a part of the “Dark Ages” timeline; and especially the overly specific descriptors of scientific instruments and astronomical tables， which while I do respect， was torture to read。 What I really learned from this book is that maybe I don’t care much for astronomy， but that’s easy for me to say when Im not a medieval person who needs to know the time of day or season， or wonders what purpose those spheres in the heavens serve （God must have put them there for a reason， right）， or is a sailor needing to navigate to the right port。All in all a mixed bag for me personally。 Glad I read it， but probably won’t again。 If you have a specific interest in the history of astronomy in the medieval ages， then I would recommend。 If you have a general interest in scientific thought in the medieval ages， then sure， but be warned that some of the book may be more technical than you bargained for。 。。。more
Steve359
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Pretty good but be warned there's a lot of math。 Pretty good but be warned there's a lot of math。 。。。more
Alejandro Martinez
，
I wouldn’t really believe that before the enlightenment there was much going on in science， but this book will reveal to you all the amazing works and efforts many people was putting into it。 Really amazing。
Catherine Woodman
，
The title of the book and the author take issue with the idea that medieval times were the dark ages， that there was no science whatsoever going on during the time between 1000 and 1400。 In fact he articulates that the western world was awash in science and learning， some of which was probably the dissemination of knowledge from Asia and the Middle East to Wurope through Italy。 The travelers and merchants along the Silk Road brought a vast array of information about astronomy， mathematics， how t The title of the book and the author take issue with the idea that medieval times were the dark ages， that there was no science whatsoever going on during the time between 1000 and 1400。 In fact he articulates that the western world was awash in science and learning， some of which was probably the dissemination of knowledge from Asia and the Middle East to Wurope through Italy。 The travelers and merchants along the Silk Road brought a vast array of information about astronomy， mathematics， how to measure the heavens， and how to interpret that to make accurate predictions。The book follows in the footsteps of John of Westwyck， a 14th-century English monk who was also a pathbreaking astronomer who left few tangible traces of himself。 After studying at Oxford university， he returned to St Albans Abbey， where in 1379 he copied two manuscripts， both treatises on the use of astronomical instruments by Richard of Wallingford， a former abbot。 Wallingford had， earlier in the century， invented “the world’s most advanced astronomical clock”， which sat on a raised platform above the abbey church。 Wallingford was evidently a gifted thinker， in a powerhouse of an institution。 THe big take home message for me， beyond the fact that a medieval monk understood aspects of science better than I do today is that while in modern times religion and science are at odds with one another， medieval thinkers did not see things the same way。 The study of the way that the world that god created was a route to moral and spiritual wisdom。 There was no contradiction in being a monk and a scientist--science was a holy pursuit。 There are many fascinating things in this book， and it is well worth reading。 。。。more
Pieter
，
A fascinating account of medieval science and learning， centred around the person of John Westwyck， a fourteenth-century monk of St Albans。 For the most part this means a history of astronomy， highlighting the complex mathematical thought and sophisticated technological innovations that went into the charting of the heavens。 Falk frequently branches out however to associated areas of science， showing both the interconnectedness of what we now consider fully separate fields of study and the aston A fascinating account of medieval science and learning， centred around the person of John Westwyck， a fourteenth-century monk of St Albans。 For the most part this means a history of astronomy， highlighting the complex mathematical thought and sophisticated technological innovations that went into the charting of the heavens。 Falk frequently branches out however to associated areas of science， showing both the interconnectedness of what we now consider fully separate fields of study and the astonishingly international nature of medieval learning。 Falk has a clear style of writing and makes a great effort at simplifying and explaining medieval astronomical and mathematical theories - though the subject matter itself remains challenging and not always easy to follow。 Still， the overall message of the book is plain: the medieval period maintained a very high level of learning， and was very much involved in progressing science。 。。。more
Thomas Walker
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Scholarly yet accessible and evocative
Lindsey Sanchez
，
Interesting， but dry & academic。 Would recommend if you are ok with that。 I just tend to like easier-reading non-fiction。
ReadinIt
，
Maybe this book doesn't work well in Audiobook form， but this was extremely boring and tedious。 Far too much focus on the astrolabe; I wish more time was spent on other areas of discovery and advancement during this period。 Likewise it was highly focused on the West and on what I would consider the latter part of the Middle Ages。 Perhaps the "Dark Ages" really are to be left in the dark since this book didn't really look into a large part of that period。 Maybe this book doesn't work well in Audiobook form， but this was extremely boring and tedious。 Far too much focus on the astrolabe; I wish more time was spent on other areas of discovery and advancement during this period。 Likewise it was highly focused on the West and on what I would consider the latter part of the Middle Ages。 Perhaps the "Dark Ages" really are to be left in the dark since this book didn't really look into a large part of that period。 。。。more
Dolly
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Heavy on astronomy but an interesting read。
David Meinberg
，
This is a fascinating book！ It does a great job of explaining how medieval people thought about science。 It does get a bit technical in things like how to use an astrolabe。 So， maybe not for everyone
roarayacr
，
The story tends to be very interesting and instructive。 You definitely learn a lot about the scientific reality of the Middle Ages。 The only problem I see is that the author deforms himself in much mathematical and astronomical detail of the operation of the devices， which only specialists will understand and the main thing is left aside: the history of scientific development in the Middle Ages。
T。J。
，
The popular conception of the Middle Ages is pretty solid: in 476 A。D。， after 500 years of the glory of Rome， the eternal city was sacked by a barbarian horde and Europe was plunged into the so-called Dark Ages。 Ignorance， illiteracy， superstition， and blind religiosity reigned。 Fast-forward to 1401 when a group of artists competed to design the doors of a church in Florence and lo and behold the Renaissance commenced and we were on our way to modernity。The Dark Ages is， of course， a myth。 This The popular conception of the Middle Ages is pretty solid: in 476 A。D。， after 500 years of the glory of Rome， the eternal city was sacked by a barbarian horde and Europe was plunged into the so-called Dark Ages。 Ignorance， illiteracy， superstition， and blind religiosity reigned。 Fast-forward to 1401 when a group of artists competed to design the doors of a church in Florence and lo and behold the Renaissance commenced and we were on our way to modernity。The Dark Ages is， of course， a myth。 This book’s title seeks to set the record straight。 Yes， it was a time of Crusades， Black Death， and self-flagellation。 But it also marked the birth of the university， major developments in clockmaking， mapmaking and navigation， the adoption of Arabic numerals and the resulting breakthroughs in mathematics， alchemy transforming itself into chemistry， and an interest in optics and astronomy lead to a real study in， well， light。The book opens with promise。 In addition to well known names like Thomas Aquinas and Roger Bacon and Chaucer， we get Fibonacci， al-Khwarizmi （father of algorithm）， Hermannus Contractus – Hermann the Lame， and the also fantastically named Robert Grosseteste。 （Of all of these guys， the one I want to read more about is Isadore， the long-serving bishop of Seville！） Falk settles on John Westwyck， an English astronomer and a Benedictine monk who embodies the best qualities of his age。But then the book leaves the realm of history and turns into a trigonometry textbook。 We trade the personalities of interesting figures for word problems。 How much do you want to know about the astrolabe？ I hope it is a lot。 This might be my personal failing。 I want to learn about characters much more than I want to calculate the lengths of arcs that intersect on the curving surface of a sphere。Here’s a sample: “This rising at right angles to the horizon is the reason that distance measured along the celestial equator is called right ascension。 And at that unique latitude， where the celestial equator is at right angles to the horizon， it is fairly easy to calculate the segment of the equator that rises in the same time as a certain segment of the ecliptic。General theory of the ascensions on the sphere。 The equator and ecliptic meet at E， the equinox， and the angle between them is the obliquity （ε）， about 23½ degrees。In that case， we can calculate the ascension ET = ER （the time taken for segment EA of the ecliptic to rise） from the right-angled spherical triangle EAR， using ε and the declination AR。 But if you are not at the equator， so R is not at T， the oblique ascension ET must be found by subtracting TR （the ascensional difference） from the right ascension ER。Uhhhh…。Have you had enough？At least Falk knows this is boring。 He recognizes it: “If you found the last two paragraphs confusing， you’re in good company。 People have always had difficulty thinking three-dimensionally。 That is why armillary spheres were so useful。” Seb， I don’t think an armillary sphere would make this interesting。 。。。more
Matt
，
A deep-dive into medieval thought through one little-known scholarship contributions and how that fairly average life shows the later reader a great deal about the variety and breadth of medieval scientific thought。
Connor Curts
，
Sorry， but a rather boring book that you mostly won’t enjoy or understand unless you like math， understand astronomy/astrology， or enjoy the history of such sciences。 Several sections were interesting。 It’s not poorly written which is why it’s 3 stars instead of 2。 But I only finished it because it was a gift and I did not want the person to have wasted their money， to be honest。
Giuliano
，
Didn't quite hit the spot for me， in that the book got fairly technical around way the calendar used to work and how some scientific instruments were built。 These of course illustrated a point， which helped make the point that the so called "Dark Ages" were anything but dark。Perhpaps I had different expectations and has envisaged a book that focuses on more theoretical concepts。Regardless I did learn quite a lot， so 4 stars are well deserved。 Didn't quite hit the spot for me， in that the book got fairly technical around way the calendar used to work and how some scientific instruments were built。 These of course illustrated a point， which helped make the point that the so called "Dark Ages" were anything but dark。Perhpaps I had different expectations and has envisaged a book that focuses on more theoretical concepts。Regardless I did learn quite a lot， so 4 stars are well deserved。 。。。more
DelawareDave
，
I’m going to take issue with all of the reviewers who praise this as a book “documenting science。” It’s a book about astronomy and mathematics （related solely to astronomy）。 We know that folks had astrolabes and other devices - this is a bit interesting， but would have been a good magazine article。
Joe Callingham
，
Who knew that reading about random monks wanting to tell the time accurately would be a fun read？ Falk successfully channels the obscure life of John Westwyk into an exploration of culture and society in the Middle Ages， with a particular focus on how science was performed。 By puppeteering Westwyk， Falk manages to colour what could be a dry science-history narrative with personal gravitas。 Without a doubt， as the title alludes， Falk's main objective here is to destroy the notion that the Middle Who knew that reading about random monks wanting to tell the time accurately would be a fun read？ Falk successfully channels the obscure life of John Westwyk into an exploration of culture and society in the Middle Ages， with a particular focus on how science was performed。 By puppeteering Westwyk， Falk manages to colour what could be a dry science-history narrative with personal gravitas。 Without a doubt， as the title alludes， Falk's main objective here is to destroy the notion that the Middle ages was a dark age for science。 He does that remarkably well through the discussion of the scientific manuscripts and instruments， by highlighting the sophisticated contemporary cultural exchanges occurring， and via the development of cultural institutes that still exist today （e。g。 universities）。 The idea that this time period was a dark age for humanity is shown for its all the falsity you would expect from a catch-phrase。 One take-away that sticks with me is the amazing local scientific breakthroughs that could occur through translations。 I take for granted that when a scientific discovery is made today it is swiftly communicated in English。 In the Middle Ages， you could have the work by the master astronomer Nasir al-Din al-Tusi collecting dust on your monastery's bookshelf， waiting for an expert translation to unlock all the scientific goodies inside。 This book could revolutionise your world view but it is just out of reach。 Ironically， the other take-away from the "Light Ages" for me was just how important astrology was to religion and cultural life。 I was reasonably surprised by the compatibility of christianity and astrology， and that revelation reaffirms just how much a revolution the development of the scientific method would be in a few centuries after Westwyk's life。Maybe this novel really spoke to me because I am an astronomer。 Falk does go overboard in describing the intricate details of some of the calculations and functions of the various time pieces， which certainly would have gone over my head if I was not a trained astronomer。 However， I have never read a piece of science-history about a period， where we have limited primary sources， that was so compelling and captured the essence of the time so well。 。。。more
Joanna Arman
，
I confess， I will read any book that rehabilitates the Middle Ages and challenges the persistent notion that everything before the 1600s was the "Dark Ages"。 So， I was bound to love this book anyway。 Seb Falk has delivered a readable and fascinating exposition on all things scientific and mathematical in the period between the 12th and the 15th centuries。 I confess that Maths isn't my strong point， and some of the passages relating to trigonometry did go over my head a little。 but that didn't pu I confess， I will read any book that rehabilitates the Middle Ages and challenges the persistent notion that everything before the 1600s was the "Dark Ages"。 So， I was bound to love this book anyway。 Seb Falk has delivered a readable and fascinating exposition on all things scientific and mathematical in the period between the 12th and the 15th centuries。 I confess that Maths isn't my strong point， and some of the passages relating to trigonometry did go over my head a little。 but that didn't put me off。 The book was more about demonstrating how important the discoveries， developments and innovations were and how they fitted into the context of the time period: and in some cases， changed the world。 For a debut book it was well written， engaging and memorable。 The illustrations and diagrams also serve as a useful guide for the perplexed （and those who just aren't familiar with the subject matter）。 I enjoyed most of it， but one of my favourite passages came from the conclusion: “It was in the Middle Ages that Europeans began exploring over the oceans， aided by new technologies of mapping and the magnetic compass。 And it was in the Middle Ages that they built complex instruments to model their divinely ordered cosmos。 We have seen， too， that religion was no impediment to scientific progress。 Time and again we have witnessed medieval Christians respecting and absorbing learning from other faiths without prejudice。 Why， then， do we persist in belittling the Middle Ages？ In part it is certainly to exalt ourselves。” The prevailing narrative that Medieval Europe was a stagnant pool of ignorance， superstition and fear of anything that wasn’t familiar or permitted by the church is a useful straw man。 One that makes us feel clever and superior， not confront the shortcomings of our own age， and feel comfortable with our cultural prejudices。 If this book doesn’t give you a newfound appreciation for Medieval men and women， and make you question the prevailing narrative I don’t know what will。 Now， I’m going to go and preorder the paperback。 Grateful thanks the Publisher Allen Lane for allowing me to read a PDF of this title。 All opinions are my own and this review was written of my own volition。 。。。more
John Mannion
，
Maybe I'm being nit-picking but the title of this book suggests a contrast with the Dark Ages， or as they are more generally known nowadays， the early Middle Ages。 Almost all of its content refers to the high and late Middle Ages。 The text is top and tailed with the argument that seems to imply that the whole of the Middle Ages have suffered from being labelled as dark which has almost never been the case。That said， this is a fascinating exploration of science and its communication through inter Maybe I'm being nit-picking but the title of this book suggests a contrast with the Dark Ages， or as they are more generally known nowadays， the early Middle Ages。 Almost all of its content refers to the high and late Middle Ages。 The text is top and tailed with the argument that seems to imply that the whole of the Middle Ages have suffered from being labelled as dark which has almost never been the case。That said， this is a fascinating exploration of science and its communication through international communities of scholars across temporal， cultural and religious boundaries。 At it heart is the work of a single scholar monk names John of Westwick。 This approach gives context and focus to the more wide ranging discussion though it occasionally descends into far too much detail。 。。。more
Leah Cossette
，
Science nerds and history buffs alike will find something to like here。 It would be hard to say that everyone will like all of it -- despite Seb Falk's best efforts， I still don't know how an astrolabe works。 But I'm okay with that。 I loved learning about Bede's finger computations， and I grew truly fond of John of Westwyk， colossal nerd that he was。 I especially appreciate that the author respects those who came before。 I've read too many historians who want to look back at the past and make sn Science nerds and history buffs alike will find something to like here。 It would be hard to say that everyone will like all of it -- despite Seb Falk's best efforts， I still don't know how an astrolabe works。 But I'm okay with that。 I loved learning about Bede's finger computations， and I grew truly fond of John of Westwyk， colossal nerd that he was。 I especially appreciate that the author respects those who came before。 I've read too many historians who want to look back at the past and make snide remarks about how foolish everyone before Darwin was， but Falk really loves history and wants to draw attention to how complex and thought-out the medieval sciences were。 I also like that he makes a point of debunking the myth of 'church vs。 science' that has become particularly popular over the years。 A fun read well worth browsing。 If you're like me， you'll enjoy what you can and won't mind skimming over the bits that get a little too mathy。 。。。more
Sally Robinson
，
This book is so DRY。 I almost gave up before finishing it。
Helen Hollick
，
The Light Ages is a non-fiction study that seeks to dispel the concept of a 'Dark Ages' for good by revealing the light of scientific knowledge possessed by our medieval ancestors。 Falk's method is not merely a discussion but an almost biographical account following the life of a monk from St Albans whose name would never have been known to us had one of his works not been erroneously attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer。 In seeking the identity of the true author， John of Westwyk was discovered and d The Light Ages is a non-fiction study that seeks to dispel the concept of a 'Dark Ages' for good by revealing the light of scientific knowledge possessed by our medieval ancestors。 Falk's method is not merely a discussion but an almost biographical account following the life of a monk from St Albans whose name would never have been known to us had one of his works not been erroneously attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer。 In seeking the identity of the true author， John of Westwyk was discovered and details of his life became known。 Not many details， admittedly， but his work directs Falk to piece together his world， and how enlightened it was。 When I began to read this book my response was quite violent - why on earth had no one ever told me any of this before？！ There are facts and details that are， to me， essential to the understanding of the mind of medieval man - not just monks， but the salt of the earth farmers and land workers。 They knew far more about the world around them than the average modern man in the street with all the Googles and Facebooks that are at our disposal。 They knew how to judge the passage of time using the stars， how to use them as a giant calendar to govern their lives and their work。 Falk also explains why the western world judges time by the sun， and why the eastern world uses the moon， so obvious and yet so unknown - at least， by me！ And he reveals that our medieval ancestors were not as stupid or uneducated as we want to believe - water-powered alarm clocks; the use of Roman numerals and Arabic numbers alongside each other; how they understood long division; using themselves as giant sundials; when the length of an hour became a set measurement; why our days are named for the planets， more obvious in the romance languages such as Spanish or French。 Our ancestors were amazing - they were all expert astronomers。I read this before I looked it up on Amazon and finding it was the Times book of the year 2020 didn't actually surprise me; however， it did reassure me that I can trust what Falk says and take it to heart because what I read was pretty mind-blowing stuff。 Falk's narrative is warm and friendly and so accessible， very unlike the old textbooks from school so don't be afraid to pick this up and delve into it， or just dip in and out - if you can put it down。If you write medieval fiction， you must read this book。 I cannot recommend The Light Ages highly enough。 Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds 。。。more
Michael Kearney
，
Well written but way to technical for me。 The book revolves around the life of an English monk who had a fairly exciting life。 His story would make for a good novel。
Benas Aukstikalnis
，
I thought it was going to be a book about medieval science， inventions， technological advancements。80% + of the book was about astronomy and how Monk X copied some table or a book and then Monk Y copied the book， guess what happened next？ Monk Z copied the book。 Fascinating。 Don't get me started on。。。。。astrolabe。 An astronomical tool that appears on every chapter。 The author gets stuck talking about it and how it works and it goes on and on and on。。。。Despite all of that。 The book has some intere I thought it was going to be a book about medieval science， inventions， technological advancements。80% + of the book was about astronomy and how Monk X copied some table or a book and then Monk Y copied the book， guess what happened next？ Monk Z copied the book。 Fascinating。 Don't get me started on。。。。。astrolabe。 An astronomical tool that appears on every chapter。 The author gets stuck talking about it and how it works and it goes on and on and on。。。。Despite all of that。 The book has some interesting information。 But at the same time， I couldn't care less for most of the information。 I would not recommend it。 Unless you mostly care about English Monks and their middle ages history about copying texts and such。 Also， the book talks only about 13-15 centuries。 So only about 30 percent of middle ages get touched。 Also he doesn't talk about the byzantine empire or other regions that also had interesting inventions or tech。 2/5 。。。more
chcubic
，
As some other reviewers have pointed out， this book lay its weight unevenly in multiple aspects: it is euro-centric; the topic is almost exclusively on astronomy （astrology included）; and the time period explored is focused on late Medieval age。 I am rather fine with the first two， since after all "Dark Age" is a term mostly referred to the Medieval Europe， and a jack-of-all-trade conglomerate of topics may generate a shallower account。 The third one is more difficult to justify， as emphasizing As some other reviewers have pointed out， this book lay its weight unevenly in multiple aspects: it is euro-centric; the topic is almost exclusively on astronomy （astrology included）; and the time period explored is focused on late Medieval age。 I am rather fine with the first two， since after all "Dark Age" is a term mostly referred to the Medieval Europe， and a jack-of-all-trade conglomerate of topics may generate a shallower account。 The third one is more difficult to justify， as emphasizing only on later times actually corroborate the impression that the early Middle Age was indeed "dark" and only redeemed by later inflow of Arabian and re-translated Greek knowledge。However， in my opinion there are still more essential problems。 I cannot help but wondering， how would our "modern-day" science be described， were the author's approach taken？ Will I be satisfied with endless lists of manual-style descriptions of some specific gadgets or technology？ I don't think so。 Science should be more about the philosophy and the methodology， about how questions are identified and how discrepancies are resolved。 I am interested in seeing how these evolved -- not necessarily monotonously "progressing"， but "evolving" -- in human society， and thus feel disappointed by the overly technical contents of the book。 。。。more
Zulfiya
，
An interesting insight into scientific history of the medieval times。 They are often simplified as dark ages， but the truth is far from the misconception。 Even though the general population was predominantly illiterate， the monasteries were the centers of learning and even scientific international "cooperation" as ideas of Islamic Golden Age of science via books traveled through the trade routes and monasteries and across Europe。 Umberto Eco piqued the public's interest of medieval studies becau An interesting insight into scientific history of the medieval times。 They are often simplified as dark ages， but the truth is far from the misconception。 Even though the general population was predominantly illiterate， the monasteries were the centers of learning and even scientific international "cooperation" as ideas of Islamic Golden Age of science via books traveled through the trade routes and monasteries and across Europe。 Umberto Eco piqued the public's interest of medieval studies because of his super successful novel The Name of the Rose。 It virtually exploded the public interest in medieval times， and it led to new courses and new areas of research of medieval studies that were offered at different colleges in the aftermath of this novel。 And now this book。 Although it is not as influential as the one penned by Umberto Eco， but it was quite enlightening。 It started well - with the punch story about the potential manuscript that could have been ascribed to Chaucer， but due to some amazing literary detective work， it was eventually attributed to John Westwyk， a monk， and adventurer， and an astronomer。The book highlights advances in mathematics， different systems of calculations （ decimal and sexigesimal）， developments in trigonometry and， as a result， astronomy， and many of these advances are shown through the life of John Westwyck and his writings。 It also pays tribute to Islamic Golden Age of science and establishes a more peaceful bridge between science and religion when Logos was a part of the spiritual journey that did not shy away from the teachings of other cultures and other religions。 In a way， it is a scathing criticism of modernity where science and religion are on the opposite sides。 I wonder if it is religion that is quite antagonistic and rigid nowadays and is becoming more dogmatic and literal in its tenets or if science is too judgmental about people who do not accept its findings。 After all， QAnon is， to a point， a religion of sorts in a secular age。 。。。more
Kristen Campbell
，
More current discoveries have helped show that the "Dark Ages" were not devoid of all scientific thought。 Some of the chapters got a little more in-depth than I enjoyed， but overall I was interested in learning much of the newer discoveries。 More current discoveries have helped show that the "Dark Ages" were not devoid of all scientific thought。 Some of the chapters got a little more in-depth than I enjoyed， but overall I was interested in learning much of the newer discoveries。 。。。more
Domenica
，
Interesting， but much of it was over my head--disappointing since the author claims that it was read for the layperson。 Towards the end I was just skimming huge sections。 I would recommend the first half of the book and the last chapter。
Arevik Heboyan
，
What a fascinating work， such immersive research， and pretty gripping story-telling and presentation of a period which is presented to the world as "Dark ages"， stigmatized by the very brutal and influential powers of religion， yet great scientific discoveries， bases for modern science， both natural， life， formal were created。 So many wonderful minds had to act in shadows， yet the human mind， curiosity， and desire for explanation and understanding of the world， made its way in occult ways， but i What a fascinating work， such immersive research， and pretty gripping story-telling and presentation of a period which is presented to the world as "Dark ages"， stigmatized by the very brutal and influential powers of religion， yet great scientific discoveries， bases for modern science， both natural， life， formal were created。 So many wonderful minds had to act in shadows， yet the human mind， curiosity， and desire for explanation and understanding of the world， made its way in occult ways， but it did！We do such an injustice towards all thinkers of the time， just considering the era to be dark and ignoring all the huge input individuals made in hidden ways。 Arab and European thinkers made this period a cornerstone of modern science and I sincerely appreciate the author for giving us an insight into the time！ 。。。more
William Schram
，