By Andrew Lewis
The Age of Discovery was a crucial aspect of the Renaissance. Shedding the geographic and intellectual provincialism of the Middle Ages, and inspired by the new Thomistic outlook, men embarked on journeys of exploration around the world in search of wealth and knowledge.
A companion to earlier European history courses, Andrew Lewis’s course focuses on the fascinating story of European exploration during the Renaissance. At no other time in history have men deliberately explored more of their world—or discovered as much as they did—than during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Motivated by the possibility of trade with the Orient, first Portugal, then Spain, England, France and the Netherlands organized expeditions that found far more than Europeans had imagined.
The course discusses the voyages and discoveries—sponsored by men such as Prince Henry (the Navigator), and led by Bartholomew Diaz, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan and others—which simultaneously discovered the world and changed it forever. Mr. Lewis also puts the voyages of Christopher Columbus in perspective and examines whether he does indeed deserve credit for discovering the New World.
This course was recorded at the 2011 Objectivist Summer Conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
(MP3 download; 3 hrs., 4 mins., 132.32 MB)
