How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization

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 the state dictates without religious convictions, convictions taught by the Catholic Church, presents historical tragedy.Prof. Woods could have written a five foot book shelf on the crucial role of the Catholic Church in creating Western Civilization. Those who want to know more should consult the bibliography at the end of the book HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILT WESTERN CIVILIZATION which is a good bibliography. This reviewer would have included Regine Pernoud's book titled THOSE TERRIBLE MIDDLE AGES:DEBUNKING THE MYTHS and G.K.Chesterton's ORTHODOXY. A recent book published by Father Duffy titled QUEEN OF THE SCIENCE:THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CATHOLIC THEOLOGY AND LIBERAL LEARNING should be read in tandem with Prof. Woods' book.Prof. Woods has simply written a great book. HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILT WESTERN CIVILIZATION should be in every Catholic school on the planet. Thoughtful Protestants who do not define their religion by Catholic bashing would benefit from this book. This book should not be recommended to Catholic bashers as it could cause cultural shock and apoplexy. If anyone reads this review and assumes this reviewer is a Catholic, they would be wrong. This reviewer has studied enough history to know just how crucial the Catholic Church has been and is wise enough to appreciate the Catholic Church's achievements.

The facts this book shares are hardly that surprising for anyone who has kept even tangentially abreast of medieval studies. However, for the unlettered, the claims this book makes might be "surprising" or "new." That is why this book is so terribly important.From the modern scientific method, to the industrial revolution, to the preservation of the ideas of antiquity during the Middle Ages, to great art and architecture, the Catholic Church truly was one of the main drivers in the development of Western Civilization. In my academic discipline, which is music, the Church's influence could not be escaped. Even if one studies music history with an anti-Catholic who bemoans the Council of Trent's effects on "innovation" in Catholic Church music, the CENTRAL role the Church played in nurturing, commissioning, and directing the development of western music can not be understated.From Guido of Arezzo (the monk who invented the staff and gave us sol-fege) to Hildegard of Bingen, to Palestrina, the Catholic Church has given us some of the greatest musical masterpieces in history, and played a pivotal role in the development of Western Music itself.As for art and architecture, the role is similar. The Church commissioned and inspired art and drove the Renaissance in Italy to incredible hights (even as it may of exacerbated the Reformation).And as for science, the Church's contributions are unparalleled. Everyone likes to bring up Galilleo (the exception that proves the rule and an overstated case) but the reality is that the Church gave us the university system, and the precursors to modern scientific method.It is important that we (whether we be protestant, Catholic, or secularist) understand WHERE OUR CIVILIZATION CAME FROM. A culture without roots is a culture doomed to fail. We must reclaim our identity as a Christian civilization known as Christendom.Thank you Dr. Woods for an excellent book.I also heartily recommend Dr. Woods' Sacred Then and Sacred Now: The Return of the Old Latin Mass for a look at how the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite can help renew and inspire authentic Catholic liturgical praxis.And for those who like free-market economics (I do not count myself entirely among you... I am a distributist) I recommend Dr. Woods' Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse While I disagree with the premise of the book, Dr. Woods' has made an important contribution to the debate.Dr. Woods is, for me, perhaps the most important scholar publishing popular work today. Almost anything he has written is excellent. While I disagree with some it, I think he always pursues high academic standards and helps drive discussion. His work is to be commended.

Fantastic book. Great read. Tom Woods is a thorough and clear writer. I especially loved the chapters detailing on monastery life and how the monks kept the bible going through painstaking hand written copying, how they maintained agriculture and gave haven to travelers.It makes you wonder why a lot of this information is ignored in our culture because yes, the Catholic church helped formed the west. You cant have western civilization without Catholicism and a unified viewpoint of on what society should be and on what its laws should be based.