"Rubenstein resurrects the complex personalities who first delved into the treasure-trove of manuscripts made available in the late 15th century. He also chronicles the daring work that reshaped Aristotelian philosophy into a cogent Catholic synthesis of metaphysics, morality, and science,"---Booklist. 384 pages, softcover. Harcourt Brace.
Europe was in the long slumber of the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire was in tatters, and the Greek language was all but forgotten, until a group of twelfth-century scholars rediscovered and translated the works of Aristotle. His ideas spread like wildfire across Europe, offering the scientific view that the natural world, including the soul of man, was a proper subject of study. The rediscovery of these ancient ideas sparked riots and heresy trials, caused major upheavals in the Catholic Church, and also set the stage for today's rift between reason and religion.
In Aristotle's Children, Richard Rubenstein transports us back in history, rendering the controversies of the Middle Ages lively and accessible-and allowing us to understand the philosophical ideas that are fundamental to modern thought.
RICHARD E. RUBENSTEIN is professor of conflict resolution and public affairs at George Mason University and an expert on religious conflict. A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School, he was a Rhodes Scholar and studied at Oxford University. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.
PRAISE FOR ARISTOTLE'S CHILDREN
"A superb storyteller who breathes new life into such fascinating figures as Peter Abelard, Albertus Magnus, St. Thomas Aquinas, Roger Bacon, William of Ockham and Aristotle himself." -Los Angeles Times
"[An] accomplished, entertaining history of ideas."
"Anyone who wants to understand where we are going in the great political struggles over religion, read this amazing story."
"Christianity's 'rediscovery' of Aristotle through Muslim Spain...challenges generations today to reclaim the interrelatedness of reason, science and religion."
"With a lively, engaging style, ARISTOTLE'S CHILDREN is a remarkable book that illuminates the long-standing relations between faith and reason."
"Relevant and captivating."
"An intellectual thriller. The real-life adventure of how the great thinker was found again… told with zest and excitement."
"A compelling account of how the rediscovery of Aristotle changed the way the Western world looked at humans, God, nature."
"Stimulating and thought-provoking reading, overturning caricatures of scholastic philosophy while suggesting how its insights can be applied to the present."
