Zeitgeist

When I was a kid and I read about the middle ages I always felt indignation for what I felt that had been wasted time in the history of humanity.

When reading pre-renaissance philosophy I also felt enraged for the massive amount of time I believed had been wasted on idle musings about God and angels, a stale extended interval between the philosophical tradition of the greeks and their reborn spirit in 15th century Florence.

What I didn't get was that the very same philosophical themes that I felt were important had not been eradicated by the Church, but were living under different names and within different religious orders. It couldn't have been otherwise at the time. That was the dominant paradigm, but trascendent ideals and equalitarian ideals, and artistic ideals had not been lost. They just had to change clothes, and were wearing the words and frameworks of consensual reality.

Next time you read something by a christian medieval philosopher, try substituting modern words whenever they mention mystic transcendental forces, and you will be amazed by the depth and clarity of their thinking. You will find socialism there, mystical drive and radical thinking. You just have to discount the historical context and wording and look for the deep memes.

On a lighter note, you can imagine how the modern world would be interpreted my those ancient thinkers. I found here a little perl by Umberto Eco, where He discusses the Catholic and Protestant spirit of different computer brand factions. I just love the guy.