The religious and political decline of the papal monarchy:
Description:
After the religious and political decline of the papal monarchy (e.g. after Boniface VIII), certain intellectual changes further weakened the papacy. Namely, the church began to build great cathedrals in France, Germany, and England. Although these were supposed to glorify the Church and did so, cathedrals were also places where skills were taught, such as the reading of Latin, and various other skills which promoted learning. In turn, such independence spurred interest in learning law, natural history, and other disciplines. Indeed, as Watson says, the building of cathedrals had the largely unintended effect of creating “a critical mass of educated people which helped fuel further demand” for more intellectual activity. Indeed, such demand for intellectual activity forced changes in how people viewed themselves, and so, allowed people the confidence to engage in certain projects. Watson mentions that, at this time, Aristotle (who promoted philosophy and science) was translated, logic was developed as a discipline, and early versions of the scientific method appeared. Perhaps the most significant, Watson notes, was the formal development of “universities” as such (e.g. Oxford), where scholars could pursue knowledge without any direct supervision. Although no one at this time was truly skeptical of the church, such intellectual independence would eventually lead to that.
Answer the following question in detail citing sources from the TEXT ONLY!!!
1. In the chapter, Watson covers many products of early university study (e.g. early scientific method from Robert Grosseteste, cursive writing (and grammar), changes in math, etc.). Which of these inventions let to our possessing further intellectual freedom? explain your answer in details.