The Printing Press and the Intellectual Dark Web

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With the birth of the printing press came a new demand for information. The spread of humanism was a light to those in search of learning. This new opportunity for learning was not only a great equalizer but it was also the discovery of the individual's capacity for knowledge and the thirst for it. The information market quickly became the fastest growing market proof of our desire as human beings to better understand our purpose in the world.

I would argue that we are living through a similar revolution today on a smaller scale. When first introduced, Youtube was a platform where people watched funny cat videos and Charlie biting that one kid's finger. However, with it's unlimited bandwidth and accessibility to the masses the innate desire for knowledge has changed it into a platform of intellectual discourse.

With Television's limited bandwidth a debate about the ethics of abortion, or immigration laws is cut to a 20-minute news segment with "experts" shouting over each other with 3 commercial breaks in between. The introduction of these type of debates on Youtube opened the door for civil discourse on topics that need three to four hours of dialogue for there to be a progressing debate where everyone comes away enlightened.

These lengthy discussions are produced by intellects with a variety of political and philosophical views. These figures who are part of a group called the I.D.W. (Intellectual Dark Web) include Bret Weinstein (Evolutionary Biologist), Sam Harris (Neuroscientist), Ben Shapiro (Conservative Commentator), Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Feminist), Christina Hoff (Feminist), Jordan Peterson (Best Selling Author and Psychologist), and many more. If you type any of these names in a Youtube search bar, you will find thousands of hours of in-depth intellectual discourse that satisfies the human need for information and learning.

As with any other information it is vital to determine what is true. I am not saying what everyone who is part of the IDW speaks the truth. Most of them, however, are part of a movement that is searching for truth. Just like the humanists of the early Renaissance who sought to do everything they could to properly educate women, and "plowman". For anyone interested in captivating deep political and/or philosophical discussion I would encourage you to search these people out.         

Fluidity Within Christianity

Martin Luther and the 95 Theses

When Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, he probably had no idea about the influence that this would have on Christianity.

Luther became disgruntled with the Catholic Church and many of their teachings, particularly those saying that to be able to be saved one needed to purchase indulgences for themselves and their loved ones and that both faith and works were needed to enter the kingdom of God (Luther believed only faith was needed). Theories promote the idea that Luther posted his 95 Theses not in an act of total defiance, but rather to set up debates and discussions he was planning to have later on. Nonetheless, the ideas he presented caught fire and spread throughout the world. Luther's ideas paved the way for Protestantism, and many Christian denominations began to sprout from the broken roots of the Catholic Church. 

                                 

Religion Today

I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in North Carolina, which is one of the states in an area known as the "Bible Belt." When my plane touched down in Charlotte, I was immediately surprised at the number of churches standing throughout the city. It seemed to me that there were more churches than there were office buildings and homes combined! What especially struck me was peoples' viewpoints on religion. I met several people who had moved in from another city and were in search of a new church. Although the individual may have been a Presbyterian in their old city, they were completely willing to switch to another denomination, such as: Baptist, Methodist, Latter-day Saint, Episcopalian, Moravian, etc. They would go from church to church until they found a pastor they liked. The pastor (not the religion) mattered because different teachings were presented even within those churches claiming to be from the same denomination. The fluidity of Christian denominations today stands in stark contrast to religion before Luther's time.

Image Credit: www.history.com

Which is the Greatest Commandment?

Everyone loves a good underdog story. Whether its 13 scrappy colonies seeking liberty from an oppressive monarchy an ocean away, Martin Luther challenging the incredibly powerful Catholic Church, or Rocky going a full 15 rounds with Apollo Creed, we love to hear about overcoming what seem to be insurmountable odds and sticking up for the little guy. Yet to often we let our love of stories obscure the details of history when they go against the narrative. Such is the case in the reformation.

To be sure, before the reformation the Catholic Church as a worldly institution was powerful and corrupt, labeling those who threatened their power as heretics and even having enough clout to bend empires to their will. Martin Luther and later other reformers, such as John Calvin, John Knox, and William Tyndale brought about an important religious change that would make it possible later for religious freedom. However, during sixteenth century protestants could be just as intolerant as their Catholic counterparts. Martin Luther, who called for religious tolerance also advocated for the persecution of Anabaptists (another Protestant sect that believed in adult baptism). Luther also persecuted Catholics and Jews. Said he:

Heretics are not to be disputed with, but to be condemned unheard, and whilst they perish by fire, the faithful ought to pursue the evil to its source, and bathe their hands in the blood of the Catholic bishops, and of the Pope, who is a devil in disguise.

John Calvin proved to be even less tolerant, declaring that blasphemy and heresy were punishable by death because they insulted God. He went as far as to say that those who didn't kill heretics and blasphemers were just as guilty and worthy of death. Other instances include the bitter persecution that took place in England as both Catholics and Protestants killed each other under various Kings and Queens. The later Puritan movement that fled to America seeking religious freedom, did not allow for other faiths and forced out people like Roger Williams, who would later establish Rhode Island.

In saying all of this I do not wish to put down the reformers or their sacrifices, but show that even good causes can be lead astray. Too often today we provide our own narrative of events instead of looking at arguments objectively, making it so that anyone who opposes our views must be mistaken at the very least and a malignant forces for evil at the worst. It can be hard to recognize our own faults, to truly give others respect and the ability to exercise their rights, and it is easy to get swept up in the waves of righteous fury. This is why we can never forget that we need to remember Jesus Christ's admonition to "Love the Lord thy God" and to "love thy neighbor as thyself."
Image credits: Martin Luther by Luchas Cranach the Elder 1529. This photograph is in the public domain.

The Rhetoric of the Divine

In class today, Professor Burton touched on the perspective of rhetoric among some of the first philosophers as being “amoral” and therefore “immoral.” As a Latter-day Saint I have seen the contrary to this statement because as a literary student, I have seen God use rhetoric and rhetorical devices such as kairos (“the contingencies of a give place and time”) and audience (“how an audience shapes the composition of a text or responds to it) to restore the Church of Jesus Christ as it exists today. Therefore, as silly as I feel writing it, rhetoric is divine and used even in the Lord’s communication with us.

With the invention of the printing press, communication, literature, etc. were mass produced and given to the public. This of itself is Kairos because it changed the way people thought and how were educated, especially with the mass production or the Bible. Their religious ideals were changed to accommodate the inevitable restoration of the Church that was going to occur a few centuries later.

Audience was important for the Lord as well leading up to the Restoration. The way He addressed Joseph Smith in the First Vision was most likely accomplished and successfully understood by the fourteen year old boy because the Lord new His audience and knew the audience that Joseph would first preach to after he was given instructions to restore the Church. This was all carefully planned, just as the rhetoric in a piece of literature is carefully planned according to the Kairos and audience of the situation.

Image: Joseph Smith's First Vision 

Where Are the Women?

 The Renaissance was a revolutionary period for art. Dozens of amazing artists took chances, broke rules, and defied all the odds to pave the way for the artists that came behind. I have to admit, I’m inspired by Renaissance art history. Though I’m not much of an artist myself, my dad is a graphic designer and Michelangelo is his hero. On our trip to Italy as a family, we tracked down loads of his sculptures as Dad heralded us with stories of his life. I love stories where people rise up and make their voices heard.

However, the last time I wandered through the familiar story of that time, with all its triumphs, something began to bother me. Where were the women? They had to have been there. I assume they were, otherwise the population of Italy wouldn’t have lasted for long. Being a woman myself, I felt a particular desire to know about them, so I did a cursory search on the internet and found one. One.

Her name was Properzia de Rossi, and she was a fighter. Unlike other women who managed to become artists in her time, de Rossi was not born into a family of artists. She found her way to the discipline herself and even managed to study under one of the greatest painting masters of the time. But that wasn’t what de Rossi wanted to do. She wanted to sculpt in marble which was a huge no-no for women in that time. One artist named Vasari even commented (directly about de Rossi) that “Sculpting is not an art form that women should attempt”.

De Rossi didn’t care. She pursued her art form and beat many male competitors in a competition to decorate a sanctuary. Her contribution is pictured below. Despite her triumphs, the prejudice of her time prevailed and she died at the age of 40, penniless and practically forgotten.

de Rossi’s voice rings quietly through the ages, speaking of a life lived in her passion, of caution thrown to the wind. A life of breaking rules and following the spirit of the Renaissance revolution, the voices of which eventually ruined her.

Having an Open Mind: The Key to Growth

I have always thought that if we could teleport one of our printed books back to a time before the printing press was invented, whoever discovered it would be dumbfounded. Perfectly written symbols and lines, with neatly cut pages of paper. If you sent it back far enough it may be idolized! The invention of the printing press truly changed the course of the world because it made it possible for all to seek learning and made people open their minds to new possibilities.

Gutenberg's Printing Press

I must admit that I had to laugh when reading the story of the beginning of the business of selling books created by a printing press. When John Fust (colleague of Gutenberg and Schoeffer in the business of the first printing press) set out to Paris to sell their first editions of the Bible, he had great success, much to the dismay of the other manuscript and book vendors in the area. When they began to notice that he seemed to have an unlimited supply of books, they assumed it was by the power of the devil that he had gained such a treasure and they ran him out of the city. This story certainly isn't the first one I have heard of in history where a threatened people formed into a mob. But while learning about it, I began to realize that opposition always forms when the greatest changes happened in humanity.

As humans we are inherently uncomfortable with change. New possibilities are frightening because they mean that the course of our life may not be what we previously imagined. But oftentimes those who become great are those who accept change and open their minds to new possibilities. In the case of John Fust and the mob who ran him out of Paris, if one of those vendors had just approached him with an interest in learning how his "treasure of books" had been formed, they may have been given the opportunity to join him in the business. A response of fear lost this great opportunity for the mob. I believe that if we open our minds to new perspectives and points of view, we will be surprised to see that our opinions and beliefs may change. If they don't change, then we will become even more firm in our current beliefs and values, as we have considered all of the other possibilities. It is never wrong to try to see from a new perspective. In fact, it can only make you better.

A Stranger at Home

Coinciding with the Renaissance era was a time of exploration by countries of Europe. In particular, Portugal and Spain pioneered the oceans for "God, gold, and glory", or in other words, for the sake of missions, economic prosperity, and global influence/political dominance. Naturally, their European neighbors followed suit. Today, we often discuss their adventures with a heavy grain of salt and a disdainful tone as we remember the harrowing exploitations that took place. But upon reading French explorer Michel de Montaigne's Of Cannibals, I've come to consider that not every adventurer sought to prey upon third-world countries.

A view of the outside world molds the lens in which we view our own. Just as Montaigne saw cannibalism as less savage than aspects of punishment in his home country, travel can lead us to question our morals and mannerisms. This shapes our identity-- and perhaps most of all, with whom we identify.

While living in Japan last August, I did more than just appreciate their culture-- I adopted it. This isn't meant to sound boastful, but to simply express how I related to certain aspects of their culture more than my own. Dignity, modesty, respect, diligence, politeness, kindness... all inherent parts of Japanese custom, and all values which I prize highly. I felt like a sound wave that had been tuned-in to the correct frequency.

This leads one to ask: did the conquistadors ever relate to the cultural ideals of their captive country better than their homeland? Did explorers ever long to live "tribally", or feel like a fish-out-of-water upon arriving home? Looking forward to the Enlightenment, it seems that the explorations of Europe paved the way for a new humanist empathy to take root in Europe.

Perhaps we'd do well to rethink our assumptions about the explorers. Maybe they, too, became strangers to their homelands, and in turn, propagated tolerance across Europe for the indigenous world.