Prompt #3

Christian Philosophy

Before Aquinas and St. Augustine came along, Christians held philosophers in contempt.  So few philosophers even existed because of how many people were religious and looked down upon them.  Christians had thought that philosophers had been trying to turn people away from God and saw philosophy as a form of blasphemy.
In the chapter about the middle ages, Alberto says that Aquinas christianized Aristotle in the same way St. Augustine christianized Plato.  As a result of these two philosophers,  more Christians have come to accept philosophy.  They did not look down upon  it as a form of blasphemy but rather as a way of attaining knowledge.  Christians who had once scorned anyone who had practiced philosophy, had became philosophers themselves.  Religious people had become more receptive to new, innovative ideas and accepted them with open arms instead of turning their backs.  As philosophy became accepted in their society, more people had started to become philosophers, wanting to learn more about the world.  More schools started to teach philosophy as an accepted area of study.  So many technological advancements happened because of more people thinking outside the box.  Hand held guns had been designed back then.  Spinning wheels had been created which is three times faster than spinning by hand.  The blast furnace had been made which increased the amount of iron that had been manufactured back then.
What had happened in the middle ages has influenced how we live today.  Religious people are more receptive to new thoughts.  More people asked themselves questions like "where did the world come from?" and "who am I?".  Because of philosophy, people are now thinking outside the box, asking themselves questions about life.