PSYCO303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Edward Gibbon, De Rerum Natura, Lucretius
12 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
The name dark ages highlight the fact that despite all the process and scientific methods prior to this, this particular period of time. Relatively lack of progress made in the western world in science, literature, or art during this period . The east/west split of the roman empire occurred for political reasons, splitting the formerly-mighty empire into two distinct political entities - this led to cultural rifts and subsequent civil wars. Literature and learning declined during this period. The roman court was in a period of moral decay, so the time way ripe for a religion that promised to restore moral order. Christianity offered a simple, unified, and positive world view in a period longing for coherence. Edward gibbon suggests the rise of christianity contributed directly to the fall of the empire by turning the population from focusing on real world problems in favour of heavenly rewards in the future. Took over the intellectual world for centuries.
