Includes bibliographical references and index.

This book documents the intellectual explosion that transformed Europe in the Middle Ages and follows a set of ideas as they course through the West. These ideas triggered student riots and heresy trials, prompted Pope Innocent III to recognize the Franciscan and Dominican orders, and set the stage for today's rift between reason and religion." "This is a feast for readers who are fascinated by medieval history, and a treat for all who want to understand the ideas that are fundamental to modern thought.