Question

"not everyone welcomed the printed book, and those who did also had fears about it."Justify the statement by giving three arguments

Answer 1

a. Since printed books encouraged new wave of thinking, ideas and discussion many feared it would have adverse effect on the minds of the people.

b. Books questioned the authority of the church, the despotic rule of the monarch , it was felt that books would incite the people, make them irreligious and rebellious.

c. Books would persuade people to think differently and would encourage distinctive interpretations of faith.

For example, Martin Luther who wrote Ninety Five Theses, criticizing practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.

Likewise,Menocchio ,a miller in Italy who reinterpreted the message of Bible and the creation of God, enraged the Roman Catholic Church

Even In India, orthodox elements of the society felt  that print culture would corrupt the society and would challenge the traditional family hierarchies

Answer 2

(i) Fear of negative thoughts : Many were of the opinion that printed words and the wider circulation of books, would have a negative impact on people’s minds.

(ii) Rebellious and irreligious thoughts : They feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read, then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might gain importance.

(iii) Destruction of valuable literature :

There was also a fear in the minds of scholars that the authority of ‘valuable’ literature would be destroyed.

(iv) Criticism of Roman Catholic Church : Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor and a Church reformer. In 1517, he wrote Ninety Five Theses and openly criticized many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. This led to a division within the Church, and led to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation,

(v) Compilation of ancient and medieval scientific text : The ideas of scientists and philosophers now became more accessible to the common people. Ancient and Medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, and maps and scientific diagrams were widely printed. When scientists like Issac Newton began to public their discoveries, they could influence a much wider circle of scientifically minded readers. The writings of thinkers such as Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau were also widely printed and read. Thus their ideas about science, reason and rationality found their way into popular literature.