What were scientists like during the Middle Ages?

Question

For my social studies project on the Renaissance.

Answer 1

Most scientists still followed the teachings of Aristotle, who believed that all matter was made of 4 humors: fire, water, earth and air. His ideas on how the body operates was followed until the Renaissance.

The model of the universe, like most science, was based on the teachings of the church. The Earth was considered the center of the universe, with all other bodies revolving around it. Nicholas Copernicus was the first to theorize that the Sun was the center of the solar system. Near the beginning of the Renaissance, Galileo, a well-respected scientist, wrote a book stating that Copernicus was right. He was promptly excommunicated, his book banned, and he was placed under house arrest until he "admitted" that he was wrong.

One type of "scientist" the middle ages is best known for is the alchemist. Alchemy was a pseudoscience that a substance existed which could turn base metal into gold, and give its user eternal life. It was called the Philosopher's Stone (NOT the Sorcerer's Stone, like the American version of Harry Potter claimed.)

Answer 2

First of all, the Middle Ages stretched from about 930A to 1470; the Renaissance was begun in the English-speaking world in 1470 and ended in 1994.
So the Middle Ages was ending and the Renaissance being introduced in Italy and later copied elsewhere at the same time.
There were hardly any minds allowed to do or capable of doing scientific thought, experiment or invention during the entire middle Ages. That's why the following Age was called a re-naissance, a "rebirth".

The Middle Ages were dictated over bu pseudo-religious kings and churchmen who forbade people to think for themselves. As a result, experiment was forbidden, discouraged, punished by death. Thinking thoughts not permitted by the dictators over church, state and institutions was a crime.

There were alchemists who tried to transmute common elements into gold, and monks who did some experiments such as Gregor Mendel who studied botany; but in general, the Medieval Age had no scientists, and the Renaissance Age only gradually freed them from the dictatorship of tyrannical bosses, religionists who wanted to dictate over worldly kings, and the prejudices and fears of the ignorant.

Answer 3

Well, the "Middle Ages" lasted a very long, that it is not even clear it was really just one age. Furthermore, what was in Europe a "middle age", it was not so in the Middle East or Asia. I will assume that you want information on Europe in that era.

For the first 530 years, from 470 to the year 1000, people in Europe were much more concerned with surviving the barbarian raids (germans, vikings, hungarians, etc.) than thinking about science. In a world were the survival rate was probably 25 years or so, only the clergy had the time and patience to learn the basic tools of critical thinking, which are reading and writing. Of course, most of their attention was concentrated on the lives of Saints, the Bible and such items, which meant little devotion to other arts. But the people that love to demonize the Church seem to conveniently forget that the same clergy kept many of the volumes of ancient information alive because they also copied it, even if it was only as a minor reference and as a way to train other in the arts of reading and writing. Many volumes laid dormant for many years, waiting to the Reinassance.

At the same time, Islam experienced a golden age of knowledge, particularly in the exact sciences. Algebra is an arabic word and the number system we use is derived from the arabian number system, which in turn comes from India. The knowledge from Islam spread into Europe along the 11th Century, particularly thanks to the Spanish Al Andalus region, and other contacts in Southern France and Italy.

As learning and knowledge started spreading in the 11th century, a new breed of protoscientists started appearing. Usually, this protoscientist, like its arab and jewish counterparts, was part mystic, part scientist. These men were sometimes trained in the clergy, and sometimes were lucky enough to receive an education without having to go into an eclessiastical institution. Some of the most brilliant minds in that era, like Coppernicus, Saint Thomas Aquina, or William of Ockham, were priests. Others, like Emperor Frederick II ("stupor mundi") were not. But all dabbled in many protosciences, which basically used philosophy instead of physics, alchemy instead of chemistry and astrology instead of astronomy. Nevertheless, they either lived in monasteries, were founders of the universities that appeared in this era, or were protected by powerful patrons who used part of their knowledge.

These men derived their research not from 100% observable models like today, but from complex systems invented first by the presocratic Greek philosphers and starting the 13th century, from Aristotelic sources. They also used mystical volumes to help explain their arts, and in a sense, they descend from the ancient priests in Babylon and Egypt. They also started to imitate each other whenever someone became particularly famous. I.E. the art of engineering was copied by masons who traveled all over Europe working in cathedrals and palaces for the kings.

It is unclear how much the Church truly censored these men. While many friars and monks were ignorant beyond the basics, the most educated minds of the Church were trained in the most current knowledge of the era. Since many advancements came from clergymen, it can be deduced that as long as these men did not go around denying the Bible, the Church did not censor them. And many men, called "freethinkers", knowing that the local bishop or duke was a tolerant person, even dared to state things that could go against the theological cannon of the era. There were limits, of course. Giordano Bruno, who did not bother to stay with a powerful patron and went around saying that the Universe was infinite, full of other people and that maybe not all knew of God, basically denied its existence and was burned in the stake for it. But even the example of Galileo Galilei were motivated more by political than theological reasons.

As time passed, and many of the ancient knowledge was put to test with observable data, little by little, these men started moving from their protosciences and started founding true sciences. The evolution can be seen from Copernicus and Kepler who were astrologers first and foremost, to an Issac Newton, who still dabbled in Astrology to Einstein, who obviously didn't believe in "the stars".

Answer 4

Most usually part of the clergy.

Answer 5

like the way that einstein guy was how ever his name is spelt.

Answer 6

most of them were alchemists