In the middle ages 111

astic philosophy is like the thirteenth century cathe-

dral, which admits only those linear forms which are

required by the rationale of the structure. It was

not until the fourteenth century that those cumber-

some theories appeared which weakened the doc-

trine.

The same systematic character marks also the

theology of the time, which is simply a great group-

ing of Catholic dogmas, each of which is consonant

with all the rest.

To sum it all up, then. Need of universality,

need of imity, need of order: the whole civilization

is athirst for them.

II

However, this passion for systematization, by its

very fascination, sometimes led the ablest philoso-

phers to excess, — and herein lies a reason for a cer-

tain peculiarity of the mediaeval mind. So great

was this felt need of ordering things, that some-

times, in the lack of reasons to prove^ recourse was

had to fiction to please.

The astronomico-philosophical conceptions of

the thirteenth century furnish a striking example

of this fact. For the men of the time the earth is

the centre of the universe, and man is the lord of

the earth. The moon and the planets are conceived

as fixed in their divers and distant spheres and as

philosophers invoke this principle, and each adapts it to his own

doctrines.

112 PHILOSOPHY AND CIVILIZATION

I describing their revolutions around the earth; with

laborious care they seek to reconcile this conception

with the apparent movements of the heavens. As

regards the fixed stars, they form the last sphere

of the world, beyond which "place or locus exists

no more," following the assertion of Aristotle, —

they think of them as held permanently in place by

nails of gold in a sky of crystal, which the divine

intelligences cause to revolve in their daily courses

around this earth of ours, and around man who, in

the last analysis, is the raison d'etre of all. And

here follows a series of postulates which are made

simply to satisfy their demand for synthesis, —

postulates which rest not on fact but on feeling.

Thus, for example, it is thought to be fitting that

the heavens, so impressive in their eternal mystery,

should be made of an essence superior to anything

here below. And being superior, it is equally fitting

that they should have an influence upon terrestrial

objects and direct human affairs. Does not the

superior, writes Thomas Aquinas, command the in-

ferior? The very order of things demands it. Or,

once again, since unity is a more perfect thing than

plurality, and creation is perfect, one must there-

fore believe in the unity of creation; consequently

a plurality of worlds is rejected as discrediting the

work of God. Undoubtedly men of clear vision

saw through tliis fragile and naive conception of

the structure of the world; certainly in a few well