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How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History)?
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Sometimes if you read you learn things.
Anyone who wants a fairly short, fun-to-read book about how the Church kept literacy and the written heritage of Greece and Rome alive during the Dark Ages should read "How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe". It's a tremendously inspiring and uplifting true story about people persevering as their world collapsed around them - great for these black-pilled times. There's an Audible version, too.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Irish-Saved-Civilization-Irelands/dp/0385418493
I would think saving it should count.
How the Irish Saved Civilization
>The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift, and a book in the best tradition of popular history -- the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe.
>Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars" -- and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians.
>In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost -- they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task.
>As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated.
If any of you have read A Canticle for Liebowitz you should read this.
Here's some support for this:
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe.
Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars" -- and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians.
There's an excellent book called How the Irish Saved Civilization where the author makes an excellent case for Irish monasteries bringing written works back to Europe and ending the Dark Ages, by virtue of being so secluded from all the action going on in Europe at the time. It's a great story, and told well, even if the historical value isn't on perfectly stable ground.
It's also important to remember that scholars saved what they thought was important, and so moving forward we see a subjective slant on what was preserved (culturally subjective at least).
What's really interesting is that from a historical standpoint if the Irish had fallen in to the Dark Ages as well and Europe had not pulled out of that nosedive, the Chinese Dynasties or Muslims (under a Caliph) likely would have become the imperialist forces of the modern world.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Irish-Saved-Civilization-Irelands/dp/0385418493
I’d say you should read more
>lyric poetry 30% (mainly symbolism) art history 25% (mainly Renaissance and symbolism) Russian literature 15% epic poetry 10% philosophy 10% (mainly Greeks, Spinoza, Camus, etc.) linguistics 5% religions 5% (mainly Christianity)
I know you didn't express any interest in it in your post, but I'm going to give my case for Irish Gaelic.
It has a solid quantity of lyric poetry, epic poetry, symbolic art history, and historical Christian documents. I believe it would engage a full 75% of your interests.
How the Irish Saved Civilisation by Thomas Cahill is a book about the Christian monks of 5th-11th century Ireland. These monks are hailed as having maintained a beacon of literacy in Dark Age Europe with their religious and historical writings.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Irish-Saved-Civilization-Irelands/dp/0385418493
Gaelic is also super interesting linguistically. Mordern Irish is nearly mutually intelligable with Old Irish. Far from being archaic or traditional, Gaelic is a punk rocker on the linguistics scene. It doesn't fit into your language's rat race of 'patterns', and 'rules'. Gaelic is simultaneously a graffiti language and an instrument of poetry. Ireland's poetic tradition is long and in both English and Irish.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_poetry
Celtic art has quite a rich and ancient tradition. It's not the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel, but prehistoric through dark age Irish/Pictish art has many subtle secrets to appreciate. We didn't really understand the knotwork until the 20th century. The symbolic meaning of carvings in pre-historic Scotland are still shrouded in mystery today.
Irish is in a revival, Ireland is beautiful, and most importantly, Irish is on Duolingo.
Actually you have to thank the Irish.
Seems rather a stretch to suggest that.
My reference may or may not be accurate. How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History) Paperback – February 1, 1996 by Thomas Cahill
Author Thomas Cahill credits the Irish people with saving western civilization.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Irish-Saved-Civilization-Irelands/dp/0385418493
This is a good read on how Irish monasteries kept and copied books after the fall of Rome, to be later introduced. Keep in mind many civilizations suppressed information and destroyed knowledge and the knowledgeable for political and religious reasons both, including the Chinese emperor and the Cambodians. The main goal of any society which wants to advance learning should be to not inhibit free expression, no matter how offensive, ignorant, politically incorrect, unpopular, irreligious, blasphemous, unscientific, etc. The only restraint being practices dangerous to others.
>This reminded me of the book How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. It explains Ireland's (Christianity's) role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe.
It's a fun book, even though it probably overstated the case a bit.
>He believes that without the Christians, the transition of Europe evolving from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era could not have taken place.
Maybe. But it's not like the Roman Empire suddenly ceased to exist. Constantinople didn't fall until much, much later.
>Irish monks and scribes maintained the very record of Western civilization – copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers (both secular and Christian) while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost.
Part of the continent. Constantinople was on the European continent.
And various Islamic states over the years did a lot to preserve writings of the ancients.
>I suspect this was also the case with monasteries and Christian universities in Europe during the medieval era.
Sure. The Church was intimately involved in education for centuries, to everyone's benefit.
>No one's saying the Medieval Church didn't persecute the science/scientists that came from their own institutions and universities
Who are you referring to?
This reminded me of the book How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. It explains Ireland's (Christianity's) role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe.
Cahill writes that St. Patrick not only brought Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians. He believes that without the Christians, the transition of Europe evolving from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era could not have taken place. Irish monks and scribes maintained the very record of Western civilization – copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers (both secular and Christian) while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost.
I suspect this was also the case with monasteries and Christian universities in Europe during the medieval era. No one's saying the Medieval Church didn't persecute the science/scientists that came from their own institutions and universities, but yet modern science may or may not be what it is today without these institutions. It's certainly worth discussion.
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