Three Thoughts from the Article on Medieval Universities

One reoccurring idea in the article that made me stop and think was the importance of religion and beliefs with numbers and math. This finding isn't new to us either. We've learnt that many cultures and time periods have associated numbers or mathematical ideas with gods or mythology. I think part of the reason that math and mysticism come up together quite frequently in history is because they seem omnipresent and fundamental. I even remember going to a Catholic school and being taught about the "holy" numbers and the "evil" numbers. I look back on it and I kind of laugh since, especially about the number of 666, because of what we learnt earlier in class. Going back to the article, I was also intrigued by the importance of dating Easter. As a child I remember that my family friends, who are Greek Orthodox, always celebrated Easter on different days and this difference always confused me and I remember my dad telling me it was about a debate with the moon. 

Another similar thing that stood out to me related to Christian religion was the idea that first the Church denounced liberal arts, but then later embraced them. It makes me think back to a marketing ad done by a organization called "Catholics Come Home" that advertised its importance in education before public education, and how they just happen to leave out some of the parts where this liberal education was also denounced, until it no longer was a threat. I wonder if liberal education has once again become a "threat" to the Church. I would think that in some senses it has and others not, but at least in high socioeconomic countries I believe that it has become a threat once again. 

The final thing that really made me think was the last page of the article. I thought it was well put to think about how although what is taught at a university level is way beyond what was taught in medieval times, it does not discount the thought and effort that went into work. This aspect of the article made me think about how content does not always really matter, but how important learning about the processes and the appreciation for these thought processes can be. I look back to when I was first learning about algebra in Grade 6 and I was one of 4 students that my teacher sent out into the hallway to go explore patterns, because I was able to complete the homework that so many of the other classmates struggled with. I remember doing this inquiry with my this small group and just being fascinated and I think in a "flow" moment. It was good. I think that know that some of this "simple material" was once university level, just speaks to some of ideas of Math being taught more like art in Lockheart's Lament.