Feed your head. (Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit)

[Sweeney]

43. In Europe, and because of Christianity, education languished.

Until the end of the first millennium people really and truly believe in the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the world. Such an attitude does no demand much investment in the future. Essentially, wide spread, though very limited education began in Europe with Charlemagne, and this under the influence of Irish monks who kept much of classical education alive while barbarian tribes where leaving foot prints all over the rest of Europe.

By that time, The Moors were already in Spain, and under pressure from Muslims, Books were showing up in Europe in Greek, and even these Irish scholars struggled with it. Knowledge is easily lost and hardly found. And to educate people when it was inessential to their lives and actually a impediment, an investment without hope of tangible return just was not going to happen. Even where there is a will, and a source of educated people to teach, the process is slow and painful. But look at the progress of Islam for an example. If they are educated they are educated in a Western Sense and in our technology that they would never have reached on their own for various reasons I am prepared to defend.

It was none the less a blending of cultures that made possible the journeys of Columbus, and John the navigator. In this the Muslims contributed math and astronomy. In their far flung trade, the Muslim need to pray at the appointed hour, and in the direction of Mecca. We simply learned more from them, than they learned form us.

If you want to rehash old arguments simply take the definition one of you posted of the meaning of Savage, and compare it to natives at the time of colonial America. I never once said that Native Americans today are savages. What is actually great and fine about them is what they have carried forward from that age. The Iroquois practiced a better form of democracy than we were saddled with.