Aristotle's Children

How Christian, Muslims and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom

Best-selling author Richard E. Rubenstein brings the past to life in this engrossing story of social, religious, and scientific revolution during one of the darkest periods in European history. When a group of Dark Ages scholars rediscovered the works of Aristotle, the great thinker's ideas ignited a firestorm of enlightened thought. This is the endlessly fascinating account of the pivotal period in history when the modern era took root.©2003 Richard E. Rubenstein (P)2003 Recorded Books

Why we think the way we do.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants insight into the sources of modern thought.
The author is very effective in developing the bridge between ancient philosophers and present political behaviors. It develops the rich history of the role of Islam in the evolution of western thought.

Aristotle's reception through the ages.

Very well done! If you like this kind of history--following one thread through history to see the role it plays in the panorama of culture, politics and society--you'll like this very much. This is a story of reason--in the form of Aristotle's life and work--in European history (up to the Renaissance). It's serious, entertaining without giving the complexity of the subject matter short shrift, well-written and well-narrated; however, if you don't like history, or if you just want a quick cruise through the middle ages, this book will bore you.

A Good

You never know how an audiobook will go. Some look interesting and turn out to be a complete waste of time. This is not one of those. I have avoided philosophy for years, but it's presented very well here. I am not very familiar with this period of history, so I have been listening to each chapter twice. In fact, I feel very connected to the medieval people as a result of this book. They were very real, with very real thoughts and ideas that we still use today.

Fascinating, but easy to put down

I'm not a big philosophy buff, but I am interested in the subject, particularly how it impacted theology in this period. I'm also a history nerd, so this tied in well with at least two of my major interests.

That said, I found myself wanting the book to be over. I'm glad I finished it--academically--but I wasn't as entertained as I am with many audio non-fiction works.

Still, I enjoyed it. Worth a credit if your interests so lean.

Interesting story of the rediscovery of Aristotle

This is a well-written narrative of how the rediscovery of Aristotle's writings in the West (they were never really lost in the East) around 1150 to 1200 had a huge effect on Western thinking. If you are interested in ethics, history of religion, the early Middle Ages, or simply want to be understand the relationship between Greek Civilization and Western Civilization, this is a great book. Because it goes into some depth on Aristotle and philosophy, it takes some patience to get through. However, this was the most entertaining overview of this rather dry topic I have come across. Much of this may be old news to historians and philosophers, but the overall story of how Aristotle's key writings were lost and then rediscovered and the effect this had on university life around 1200 to 1250 is fascinating. Highly recommended.