Originally Posted by Clivedurdle

At some point, possibly in the second century, but clearly by the time of Ambrose, the equivalent of Orwell's doublespeak won and this caused huge changes, probably assisting the beginnings of the dark ages.

A series of irrational statements were asserted to be true - for example, sons equal to fathers, three in one gods. Worse, assent to these irrational statements became life and death matters.

We tend to look at this history from within this irrational mindset.

Has anyone tracked the development of this way of thinking, its implications and its consequences?

It may enlighten our understanding.

As modern fundamentalism is a reaction to modernism, were these orthodox taliban christian beliefs a reaction to, a co-evolution with, the real success of the philosophers in creating rational frameworks, with real results like concrete, the Parthenon and the Ankylethera Mechanism?

Originally Posted by mountainman

...Who in their right mind would ever contemplate such a thought, and what evidence might they present in support of it? Are you sure you are not examining the development and refinement of methods by which the upper classes were extorted and tortured?