Darren Daniel S.

Infante Science, Technology, and Society

02-11-22 Prof. Rachelle Chavez

The Church and Science and Technology

Knowledge is really powerful and useful whatever the time period it is. It is the reason

why we have anything today. It is the foundation of anything, science, technology, medicine, and

many more. It is used from the first human until this day. The only difference is that knowledge

nowadays is easy to access. Science is a big reason for this in a lot of ways. There are schools,

the internet, and books. 

A book is a form of science that made the accessibility of knowledge easier. They are

also one of the oldest methods of storing information. The first reason is that books are portable,

which means that they can be brought anywhere. Also, one source of books is the public

libraries, where everyone has the access to whole different kinds of knowledge just by going

there. Another reason is that it is easy to understand. Before, rich people are the only ones who

have the access to knowledge because they are the only ones that were taught how to read. Now,

no matter the status, everyone has the access to it. Lastly, books are very cheap. This is also the

reason why owning books is easier that almost every home has books owned by them.

Another product of science that easy access to knowledge is made possible is the

internet. The internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the

Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. On the internet,

the specific places where the information can be found and used are called websites. On these

websites, all sorts of knowledge like articles, journals, information and etc. are accessible. The

biggest advantage of the internet in knowledge accessibility is the fact that it is public, free, and
fast. It is the most used medium of knowledge sharing, discussion, and gathering especially in

this pandemic where all of the schools, libraries, museums, and universities are closed.

Schools are also one of the main knowledge sources in this modern times. But before the

schools are the main knowledge source, churches and cathedrals were the first places where

knowledge production, trading, and making took place. This is the positive effect of the churches

in knowledge during the medieval period. The monasteries and abbeys have rooms called

scriptoria where the monks would copy manuscripts by hand (McNamera, Valverde, Beleno III,

2018). Cathedral schools were often staffed by clerics who lived as canons, residing on the

grounds of the bishop's estate or in the town nearby. Anyone attending a cathedral school at this

time took minor church orders and held status as a cleric. This status gave them immunity from

civil courts—that is, they were under the jurisdiction of canon (church) law and ecclesiastical

courts, which usually gave milder sentences for serious crimes.

Although the churches brought about positive effects in knowledge during the medieval

period, there were also cons in them. First is that churches controlled the education, only the

priests and the monks are the ones that could read and write. Second, the Pope condemned new

ideas which contradicted the bible. Lastly, the majority of students were ecclesiastics. Meaning,

no one could be made a medical doctor without permission of the archdeacon.

Knowledge did change drastically from the medieval period in a positive way. Back then

cannot be easily accessed by everyone. Now, everyone can get, find, and even share their

knowledge in different mediums. Changes especially in science do not stop. This means that in

the future, accessibility of knowledge might get easier as science progresses.

References

McNamera, D. J., Valverde, V. M., & Beleno Ill, R. (2018). Science, technology, and society.

C&E Publishing.

"Medieval Education and the Role of the Church ." Arts and Humanities Through the Eras. .

Retrieved January 24, 2022 from Encyclopedia.com:

https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/culture-magazines/medieval-education-and-role-

church