While my intent was to try to follow the development of human philosophy from ancient Greece to where it is today, the so-called European Dark Ages intervenes in a not-so-subtle way from any simple straightforward cause-and-effect understanding of the subject. This disruption, or interregnum, in human progress was not total, but it gives real meaning to a term being bandied about today – a great reset.
The collapse of the Roman Empire entailed the failure of its institutions. The coinage of money ceased. The few who had money held it more tightly, reducing its effectiveness as a facilitator of commerce. The courts of law no longer functioned. Calls for justice went unanswered. The vast majority of people, having no reserves and facing certain calamity, were forced to adjust to reduced standards of living. Fear and hunger ruled the day. Slavery died out because the societal institutions necessary to control the slaves no longer existed. Bands of marauders roamed the countryside.
Having nothing else, men pledged their lives and labor to the landholders of the previous era. Thus the feudal system that marked the beginning of the medieval period became firmly entrenched, and rather quickly. They were not slaves; neither were they free. Every man belonged to another. They became tied to the land. Travel and commerce were rare and dangerous. Strangers were looked upon with the uttermost suspicion. Language became more localized and regional dialects more pronounced.
Fear and hunger are not conducive to the pursuit of the more refined things in life, but they are sobering in their effect. The feudal system engaged nearly everyone in agriculture and the production of food. When danger threatened, the men answered the call of their liege lord to mount a defense, with the women and children left in their anxiety, their very lives depending upon the valor of their menfolk.
Religion became more monasticized, asceticized, and legalized. The love of the Father for the individual was nearly lost sight of as religion became second-handed once again. A galaxy of saints were supposed to intercede for men in the heavenly courts. Fear of demons and inadvertent sins of commission or of omission took away from the few remaining satisfactions of life.
Philosopher’s Corner – Gene Ross