Agora

We watched Agora, an indie film that is making the rounds. As the film's Wikipedia entry puts it:

The biopic stars Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, a female mathematician, philosopher and astronomer in 4th century CE Roman Egypt who investigates the flaws of the geocentric Ptolemaic system and the heliocentric model that challenges it. Surrounded by religious turmoil and social unrest, Hypatia struggles to save the knowledge of classical antiquity from destruction.

The film glorifies Hypatia's quest for knowledge, and portrays most of the Alexandrian Christians as ignorant rabble.

I most enjoyed the moment when the Christians accuse Hypatia of not believing in anything.

"I believe in philosophy", she replies.



For me it was a tough story to watch, because I knew what was coming, to the great library at Alexandria, and to her.

Books were burned,
and science spurned.

Those who believed incorrectly
often died directly.