Medieval scholars trusted bookish authorities over direct sensory evidence

Evidence

Few medieval authors embody the search for truth via dependence on authority better than Isidore of Seville, contemporary of Muhammad. Isidore not only compiles florilegia of earlier authorities but also becomes an authority who will be quoted throughout the Middle Ages. Both in the content and the method of his work, he illustrates the intellectual filtering common to many medieval authors. Authoritative explanations of the world around one are to be found in revered books. These books are timeless, never out of date; if the reality one sees around oneself does not seem to correspond to the models described on parchment, it is the evidence of the senses that must be questioned, not the authorities. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 89 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The basic lines of theory were always stronger and more important than scientific observation. If they conflicted, observation usually proved the weaker; often it aroused no interest at all, but it was always subordinate. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1281 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Medieval scholarly method privileged authoritative books over direct sensory evidence; Medieval textual authority trumped sensory evidence when they conflicted — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 89; Medieval theory trumped direct observation when the two conflicted — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1281 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Medieval scholarly method privileged authoritative books over direct sensory evidence #corroborates (1.00)
• Medieval textual authority trumped sensory evidence when they conflicted #corroborates (1.00) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 89
• Medieval theory trumped direct observation when the two conflicted #corroborates (1.00) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1281
• Theory outweighed direct observation in medieval European writing about Islam #complicates (0.92) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1281
• Medieval Christian deformation of Islam coexisted with accurate knowledge #complicates (0.85) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 109