FIAT LUX
The Dark Ages closed when people recognized
the need to learn and began to establish universities. Monasteries
held the archives. For education to be safe there had to be a
stabilizing authority and nations formed under the authority of
the strongest leaders in Europe. When populations realized they
did not have to fear for their lives, culture and amenities arose.
Wi
th culture came a passion for study,
learning, and the beginnings of technological progress. This period
in western civilization is called the Renaissance. Obviously,
civilization took the strides forward with the powerful who wanted
control. Those "strong men" also knew the smart advisors
had the secrets to their success.
The second part of the novel is about the planned
unification of the continent under the control of the powerful,
who are advised by educated counsel. Simultaneously, we are shown
that intelligence is sometimes at odds with wisdom, as progress
can oppose security. Some monks are against education, because
the former, fabled civilization of Leibowitz's time had been very
educated yet snuffed themselves out. These monks feared that increasing
knowledge 
and technology would again direct
civilization to self-destruction. This argument rages today. An
interesting person in this section is the Poet. He seems not to
fit the structure of the story, but he provides the necessary
role of an objective critic. The end of Part Two establishes the
superiority and control of simple technology and the reader should
recognize a repeat of the Renaissance.
Reading segments: