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> The dark ages were anything but dark The period is only called dark age in English for what it’s worth, that should make it pretty obvious it’s not a univers

by dgellow 2mo ago

> The dark ages were anything but dark The period is only called dark age in English for what it’s worth, that should make it pretty obvious it’s not a universal understanding of that era

gverrilla 2mo ago
AFAIK it's called Middle Ages. "Dark ages" is a nickname, it exists in Portuguese too, at least, and yes it reflects obsolete notions about that moment in history.
mapontosevenths 2mo ago
It deserves to be called that. After the fall of the Roman empire primitive religion came to rule Europe. The science the Greeks gave Europe were lost or stagnated, and literacy was almost exclusively the domain of the church. Europe regressed, while the Islamic world preserved the Greek science texts and China thrived (inventing gunpowder and money to start with). Everything is named by comparison, and we compare that age to the age of enlightenment. I don't care how unpopular it is to say it out loud, it's the literal, provable, and easily verified truth that Europe during that time was an age of intellectual darkness.
- IAmBroom 2mo ago
  > After the fall of the Roman empire primitive religion came to rule Europe. I get that you want to bash Christianity, but... it's not like it was less progressive than worshipping force-of-nature gods with a propensity for rape and petty revenge.
  - mapontosevenths 2mo ago
    > I get that you want to bash Christianity Not at all. The dark ages were dark. Pretending like they weren't because of your religious choices is just intellectually dishonest, regardless of your faith. Were they dark because religion was in charge? Yes. Atheists have perpetrated their fair share of horrors (and then some) as well. So have most/many other religions. Using weak language to avoid having to consider the horrors of the past helps no-one except those who wish to repeat those horrors. My objection is not to Christianity, it is to revisionists who want to pretend like Christianity didn't already have a go at being in charge or forget the monstrosity of what happened when it was.

by dgellow 2mo ago

> The dark ages were anything but dark The period is only called dark age in English for what it’s worth, that should make it pretty obvious it’s not a universal understanding of that era

gverrilla 2mo ago

AFAIK it's called Middle Ages. "Dark ages" is a nickname, it exists in Portuguese too, at least, and yes it reflects obsolete notions about that moment in history.

mapontosevenths 2mo ago

It deserves to be called that. After the fall of the Roman empire primitive religion came to rule Europe. The science the Greeks gave Europe were lost or stagnated, and literacy was almost exclusively the domain of the church. Europe regressed, while the Islamic world preserved the Greek science texts and China thrived (inventing gunpowder and money to start with). Everything is named by comparison, and we compare that age to the age of enlightenment. I don't care how unpopular it is to say it out loud, it's the literal, provable, and easily verified truth that Europe during that time was an age of intellectual darkness.

IAmBroom 2mo ago
> After the fall of the Roman empire primitive religion came to rule Europe. I get that you want to bash Christianity, but... it's not like it was less progressive than worshipping force-of-nature gods with a propensity for rape and petty revenge.
- mapontosevenths 2mo ago
  > I get that you want to bash Christianity Not at all. The dark ages were dark. Pretending like they weren't because of your religious choices is just intellectually dishonest, regardless of your faith. Were they dark because religion was in charge? Yes. Atheists have perpetrated their fair share of horrors (and then some) as well. So have most/many other religions. Using weak language to avoid having to consider the horrors of the past helps no-one except those who wish to repeat those horrors. My objection is not to Christianity, it is to revisionists who want to pretend like Christianity didn't already have a go at being in charge or forget the monstrosity of what happened when it was.