Catholic and Enjoying It!
is currently pondering ravishment, Fred Astaire, how to retitle books to win John’s insta-goodwill and other fun stuff. Make it a part of your nutritious breakfast.
Speaking of cool writers, over on Michael F. Flynn’s equally interesting blog, there is an interesting discussion of the nature of magic as it was understood by typically clear-headed medievals (one of the greatest injustices of our time is our complete cocksure confidence that this age of crystals, spoon bending and faith in whatever Oprah says is “rational” while the “Dark Ages” were the time of superstition and blind credulity).
Speaking of which, there’s also a terrific little debunking of some ignorant pseudo-knowledge about the supposed Millenial Scare of 1000 AD and some interesting factoids about the medieval disbelief in the reality of witches. Everything you know is wrong, especially if you get your information from TV.
Finally, while I’m binging on Flynn recommendations, do check out his terrific piece “Quaestiones Super Caelo Et Mundo” which does a fine job of putting to bed the tired claim that medievals were superstitious bumpkins who hated and feared science and reason.
There’s also a bunch of fun follow-up discussion here. Part of what our generation will have to do, once it is finished wrecking everything and suffering enormous consequences for the hubris of imagining we are the summit of human history, is apologize to all the brilliant souls in heaven who have had to sit there and listen to us boast that, because we watch Paris Hilton on Hi Def, we can talk down to the medievals who invented the university.
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