How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization

I'm not a scholar, and I'm not Catholic. But I found Dr. Woods' book an engaging, interesting read that sheds new light on the Middle Ages and Renaissance years. It's the kind of work that provides (at least for a non-History major) an epiphany a page. You can read it in a week, and come away with a much broadened understanding of the topics explained.

Thomas Woods' book titled HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILD WESTERN CIVILIZATION is an unanswerable antidote to anti-Catholic bashers and their mindless sychophants. Prof. Woods provides a compelling case that Western Civilization could not have thrived without the valuable achievements of the Catholic Church over the past 2,000 years. Prof. Woods survey of the Catholic Church in late Ancient History and during the Dark Ages makes clear that the Catholic Church authorities and especially the monks were invaluable in preserving learning. He makes clear that the early Catholic monks and nuns were the only literate people in Europe, and they preserved learning by handcopying books and teaching. Prof. Woods' treatment of this historical episode gives the thoughtful reader an insight as to how crucial those who were in religious orders were to European recovery. Prof. Woods' chapter on Medieval universities is solid. He gives the conditions under which teachers and students operated and makes clear that the "Age of Scholasticism" was an intllectually vibrant age. The books gives examples of the curriculum and the emphasis on logic and reason both in learning and solving intellectual issues. The Age of Reason actually began in the Medieval Catholic universities rather than in the 17th and 18th centuries. Prof. Woods' evaluation of Medieval Scholasticism compares favorably with John Baldwin's THE SCHOLATIC CULTURE OF THE MIDDE AGES, 1000-1300. Chapter five of this book undermines the notion that the Catholic authorities tried to undermine scientific study. For example, Prof. Woods cites numerous examples of Catholic university officials supporting scientific study and lending considerable resources to the study of astronomy. He also gives an honest assessement of the trial of Galileo who was also highly praised by Catholic authorties including the Pope. This reviewer learned for the first time that the Jesuits started the study of seismology. This chapter is important because it undermines the false notion that the Catholic Church was against science. One should note that many scientific advances that are taken for granted and which are important originated with the Catholic Church. Not only did the Catholic Church make invaluable contributions in science and philosopy, but Prof. Woods presents an abundence of evidence of the valuable contributions that the Catholic Church made in developing both Canon Law and the concepts of natural and legal rights. These chapters are especially important in that they clearly prove that the Catholic jurists had meticulous concern for the rights of individuals including those who were not Catholic. This thesis is proven beyond doubt in chapters nine, ten, and eleven. Prof. Woods presents a historical case of what happens in "A World Without God" which is the title of the book's conclusion. The twentieth century is thus far history's bloodiest century. The absence of moral codes except that of what

George Will once wrote that if you wanted to find Alexander Hamilton's legacy, all you had to do was "look around you." That's even more true of the Church. Everything from the hospital, the factory, and the university system to the notion of universal human rights and classical economics has its root in the thinking and teaching of the Catholic Church. Woods' book is the perfect antidote to the dim view of Catholicism's contributions that students are shown in many history courses. Believe it or not, there's more to the story than black legends about the Crusades and the dreaded Inquisition. In "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization", students of any age will learn - Why modern science was born in the Catholic Church - How Catholic priests developed the idea of free-market economics 500 years before Adam Smith - How the Catholic Church invented the university - Why what you know about the Galileo affair is wrong - How Western law grew out of Church canon law - How the Church humanized the West by insisting on the sacredness of all human life Worth noting are Woods' sources, as he builds his case on the works of historians of science like Stanley Jaki, David Linberg, Edward Grant and J.L. Heilbron, and classic Church historians like Christopher Dawson, Philip Hughes, and Henri Daniel-Rops. About the latter, one can hope that Woods sparks a renewed interest in these past masters. Especially relevant is the chapter on the contributions of the monks. At a time when Europeans have turned their backs on Christianity in favor of atheistic humanism, a greater appreciation for St. Benedict - "the father of Europe" - and his tireless monks is much needed. Indeed, that is one of the reasons why then-Cardinal Ratzinger chose Benedict as his papal name. For a free chapter of the book, Google the words "free chapter" and "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization."

About the Catholic Church that is. Ask the average layperson about the Middle Ages and he'll probably say it was a time of ignorance and superstition, where the Church ruthlessly stamped out dissent. Surprise! Woods shows just the opposite is true: it was the Church that gave us the university system. It was the Church, the monks specifically, that preserved the wisdom of the ancient world and drove technological innovation for centuries. But the Church crippled scientific progress right? Wrong. Woods proves again that just the opposite is true: science as we know it would not have arisen without Christian presuppositions, i.e. God's creations operate according to laws that can be discovered by man. This is in stark contrast to other ancient cultures which believed nature was unpredictable and the gods were capricious. Charity, morality, economics, international law, the idea that all men are created equal, and many other things we take for granted all have foundations in Catholic thought. The title is accurate: the Church built Western civilization. I'm sorry the book is so short at 225 pages. Each chapter could easily become a book in its own right. Woods has a gift - also evident in his other books - for swift narratives, delightful anecdotes, and discovering astonishing facts that were there all along but somehow became great secrets. Woods says that our debt to the Church is one of history's greatest secrets. I hope more people are able to learn this secret. Woods's book is a great start, and the bibliography provides other excellent sources.

This is one of those eye-opening books that put to rest widely accepted but nonetheless misguided notions about the past. In 225 information-packed pages Tom Woods reveals how, in the aftermath of the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church single-handedly revived and rebuilt Western civilization. The Benedictine monks, for example, transformed wasteland and swamps into fertile fields, harnessed water power, and bred healthier strains of livestock. The Jesuits became pre-eminent in astronomy and developed a scientific approach to archaeology. The Church fostered village schools and the great universities of Paris, Bologna, Oxford, and Cambridge; operated hospitals and orphanages; sheltered and fed the poor; and formulated the idea of basic human rights. Thanks to this book, people who use the term "medieval" as an insult are going to be awfully embarrassed.