What roles did faith and reason play in the intellectual life of the Middle Ages - Research Paper Example

? The Need for Co-Existence: Faith and Reason’s Team Work to Intellectual Life Prosperity Number Paper Abstract The status of both faith and reason in the middle ages could be considered as at level with one another. Both are regarded as equally important in the intellectual life of the medieval society. With this, the paper will explore the concept between faith and reason and how they contributed to the development of knowledge has been studied. With outcomes gathered from the said exploration, this paper came with the conclusion that not only did faith and reason function as a harmonious duo during the medieval era, both also needed each other in the first place to prosper and contribute to the intellectual life modern society is enjoying today. The Middle Ages is a timeline collection of many developments. Specifically, it was both a dark and colorful combination of social reconstruction, formed conflicts in the foreign landscape and the revolution and optimization of many different aspects in the society (“British History: Middle Ages”). Nevertheless, despite the bombardment of many occurrences, one important point of study regarding this period in history is the status of the time’s intellectual life. The construct that makes this a worthy object of attention lies in two molding factors—faith and reason. These two is said to have governed the intellectual presence of the middle ages. The main purpose of this paper then seeks to uncover what roles did faith and reason play in the medieval times that produced the level of intellectual outcome that defined the Middle Ages. Faith and the Medieval Times The discussion of the middle ages, as a point in history, is oftentimes associated with the prosperity of the Christian faith and its consequent contribution in the development of today’s theological thinking. Given that this particular faith is not shared by all of members of today’s population, the interpretation of the Middle Ages in relation to faith differs across academics, critics, historians, and the like. This difference can be considered as a problematic factor in the study of that point in history. The phenomenons where interpretive analysis of the medieval times has differed in extremes have been properly acknowledged with a term. As per the work of Van Engen, the Christian Middle Ages could be considered as a “historiographical problem” (519). For others like Gilson, and similarly with that of Brown, focus of the work on the specific point in time has been devoted to attributing the full development of Christianity and the total characteristic of the faith during the middle ages. The bottom-line with this particular focus is that Christianity has played a major role during that time--affecting many aspects of societal life. Listening to Reason in the Middle Ages On a similar stance, reason during the Middle Ages has also been given an equal amount of attention by scholars and academics alike. The work of Alexander Murray has vastly tackled how reason affected the society during the given period. More importantly, the particular work has contrasted itself to be another definition of the medieval ages. Whereas the period was prominently known to be an era of faith due to its centralization of Christianity, Murray has also given emphasis that reason also governed the said stage (page number). The work of Edward Grant has supported the previous author’s contention as he set his focus on the reason-oriented developments of the Middle Ages (1). In so doing, Grant have detailed that it was during the Middle Ages that the pillars of today’s politics and government have taken the form. Particularly, the emergence of “the nation state, parliaments, [and] democracy” (1) during the time could be viewed as the source of development for the governance of present day nations. Moreover, it was also during the same stage that foundations of commerce and banking have been established. However, if these achievements be tallied, the entry on the list that could be considered the most important is the commencement of early foundations of higher education. It was not long before technological advancements, branching out of literary forms, and the like have prospered. Faith and Reason: Roles in the Intellectual Life of the Middle Ages The co-existence of both faith and reason may be an incompatible match. For others, it may be a harmonious combination. Nevertheless, if matters of intellectual life may be spoken about, the current paper’s assertion is that faith and reason have each one’s contribution to the then society’s intellectual atmosphere—that is if knowledge is concerned. This is the first assertion because both of the concepts could be credited as being responsible for the explanation of things, why they occur, and other phenomena that bombarded the era. However, both principles differ from each other more than they share similar characteristics. One difference is the way it is being able to contribute to the knowledge of the society. Faith—which dominantly has been centered on Christianity—has provided knowledge to the medieval population through the divine teachings of the faith. Reason, meanwhile, has contributed to what the society knows by acquired information over time. This aspect will mainly be associated with the principles of science and other similar fields. Another difference is the fact and the manner to which this knowledge is being obtained by the propagators themselves. If faith would be the matter, the knowledge source basically would originate from the past (i.e., during the time of Christ). This becomes the reason why faith has lasted up to this day. Since knowledge is being obtained from the teachings of the past, it remains unchanged despite the passage of time. Though there are modifications, it is able to preserve its core since the knowledge produced is all based from previous and existing information. In contrast, reason obtains its knowledge from a continuous gathering and interpretation of various data. The flow is an endless process. First there is current information, and then there comes the entrance of a discovery which could support or debunk existing knowledge. If the knowledge source of faith stems from the past, then the knowledge source of reason originates from a continuous search for answers. This leads to another difference which is the development of knowledge. Since the principle of faith retains its teaching and ideologies, it has little room to none in matters of knowledge development. It just repeats the same construct over and over. On the other hand, the way reason develops its knowledge is updated. It has a vast room full of new discoveries, and at the same time, it gives the opportunity for a review of previous knowledge, and whether they can hold true in a different time or not. In simpler terms, the concept of reason allows space for added knowledge. In this light, it may be seen that reason has the upper hand in playing its role towards the intellectual life of the middle ages. However, the point of this paper still asserts that the two played the same level of importance in the intellectual life of the aforementioned time. This is so because faith and reason need to co-exist with each other in order for moderation. Moderation at this point pertains to the lengths the developments of reason could transcend. As the assertion of this paper rested on the fact that reason has the capacity to develop knowledge and update it continuously, it is also seen by this paper that going overboard at anytime is a hazard complementary to the concept. That is where faith needs to come in. Particularly, its being notable for debunking a few developments and discoveries of new knowledge is the regulation reason needs. In addition, the moral principles the concept of faith abides with is of great help to control drastic and destructive measures reason could succumb to. It is with these complementary traits that this paper concludes and offers that both reason and faith co-existed in the intellectual life of the Middle Ages. Works Cited “British History: Middle Ages.” BBC. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. . Brown, Colin. Philosophy and the Christian Faith: A Historical Sketch from the Middle Ages to the Present Day. London: Tyndale House, 1969. Print. Gilson, Etienne. History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages. New York: Random House, 1955. Print. Grant, Edward. God and Reason in the Middle Ages. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Print. Murray, Alexander. Reason and Society in the Middle Ages. New York: Clarendon Press, 1978. Print. Van Agen, John. “The Christian Middle Ages as an Historiographical Problem.” The American Historical Review 91.3 (1986): 519-552. Print. Read More