When people today imagine the ‘Renaissance’, they typically think of the transitional period that ushered in the glorious modern era, and marked the end of what Petrarch termed the ‘Dark Ages’. However, the reality is far less definite than this perspective allows. Seb Falk, in his book, The Light Ages, argues that the Medieval period is really one of ‘scientific interest and inquiry’. The twelfth century, in particular, stands out with its very own ‘renaissance’.

Western Civilisation is a product of its past. While it has been influenced by many ideas and events throughout its vast history, it has been primarily shaped by a contest of faith between human reason and divine revelation.

New post-Enlightenment ideas moved faith, ethics and culture from the ‘absolute’ into the 'relative' category—the rise of relativism.

The belief that, particularly in terms of philosophy and religion, the Renaissance marked a break with medieval culture on the path...