Saint Joan · Chapter
Credulity, Modern and Medieval explained
Shaw contrasts medieval and modern credulity, arguing that modern faith in doctors and science is more gullible than medieval faith in the Church, because the Church had spiritual checks and believed in damnation, while modern professionals
What happens
Shaw contrasts medieval and modern credulity, arguing that modern faith in doctors and science is more gullible than medieval faith in the Church, because the Church had spiritual checks and believed in damnation, while modern professionals are soulless trade unions. He frames Joan's burning as a still-relevant question about institutional coercion.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Shaw directly…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Faith and Reason
Shaw contrasts medieval faith in the Church with modern blind faith in doctors, arguing the latter is less critical.
- Individual vs. Institution
The chapter examines how institutions (Church, medical profession) coerce individuals, using Joan's case as a touchstone.
- Historical Interpretation
Shaw insists Joan's burning is not merely a historical curiosity but a living question about credulity and power.
Characters to notice
- Joan of Arc
Her burning is the central historical event used to probe modern and medieval credulity.
- Abernethy
Cited as an example of a doctor who points the way but does not follow it himself.
Key passages
“When Abernethy, the famous doctor, was asked why he indulged himself with all the habits he warned his patients against as unhealthy, he replied that his business was that of a direction post, which points out the way to a place, but does not go thither itself.”
Abernethy justified his hypocrisy by saying his role was to show others the healthy path, not to walk it himself.
Shaw uses this anecdote to introduce the theme of authority figures who do not practice what they preach.
“Our credulity is grosser than that of the Middle Ages, because the priest had no such direct pecuniary interest in our sins as the doctor has in our diseases.”
We are more gullible today because doctors profit from our illnesses, whereas medieval priests did not profit from our sins.
Shaw argues modern faith in medicine is less rational than medieval faith in the Church.
