You have likely heard the term "the Dark Ages" to describe the period of history from about 450 A.D. to 1450 A.D. And you have likely heard a historian or science popularizer or two suggest that it was primarily the Christian Church of the time which was the root cause of suppressing true scientific knowledge of the physical cosmos. Medievals were ignorant, superstitious, and didn't do much of anything scientifically significant for nearly a thousand years. Our guest this week, author and historian James Hannam, says that this disparaging caricature of the Medieval Era is entirely wrong. This week's episode tackles the influence of Aristotle, the development of the university, and the idea of purpose in Medieval natural philosophy.

James Hannam is a historian of the relationship between religion and science in the United Kingdom. He is the author of God's Philosophers - How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science (published in the US as The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution) and The Globe: How the Earth Became Round. James is also a full-time tax consultant. You can find out more about James and his work on his website: www.JamesHannam.com.

Related Links: Access additional Watchman Fellowship resources related to this week's podcast:

• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Scientism by Dr. Luke Barnes and Daniel Ray: www.watchman.org/Scientism
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Naturalism by Daniel Ray.: www.watchman.org/Naturalism
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Astrology by Marcia Montenegro: www.watchman.org/Astrology
• Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Richard Dawkins by Dr. Rhyne Putman: www.watchman.org/Dawkins
• Watchman Fellowship's complete Profile Notebook demo video: www.watchman.org/Demo

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