The Middle Ages wasn't simply "A thousand years without a bath." Intellectual and educational traditions did develop in this period, setting the stage for modern educational systems. Scholasticism, the intellectual inquiry of the men who taught at schools and universities, used Aristotle's methods of logic to understand the nuances of Christian theology. applied the teachings of Confucius to Christian theology. used Plato's ideas on forms to reform the papacy. sought ways to eliminate all vestiges of pagan practices by peasant communities.

The Middle Ages wasn't simply "A thousand years without a bath." Intellectual and educational traditions did develop in this period, setting the stage for modern educational systems. Scholasticism, the intellectual inquiry of the men who taught at schools and universities, used Aristotle's methods of logic to understand the nuances of Christian theology. applied the teachings of Confucius to Christian theology. used Plato's ideas on forms to reform the papacy. sought ways to eliminate all vestiges of pagan practices by peasant communities.