"Aladdin's Lamp" by John Freely

[Aurelia]

John Freely, a historian of science at Istanbul's Bosphorus University tells the story of how ancient Greek philosophy and science dating as far back as the 6th century BC gradually spread across the Greco-Roman world. He then sets out to explain how, as the Dark Ages shrouded most of the European continent, this knowledge was preserved, translated and eventually re-introduced in Europe by Islamic scholars, triggering the emergence of European science in the Renaissance period and leading to the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century.

 

For those interested in finding out more, have a look at this review that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle a few days ago.

Edited March 28, 2009 by Aurelia

[Gladius Hispaniensis]

John Freely, a historian of science at Istanbul's Bosphorus University tells the story of how ancient Greek philosophy and science dating as far back as the 6th century BC gradually spread across the Greco-Roman world. He then sets out to explain how, as the Dark Ages shrouded most of the European continent, this knowledge was preserved, translated and eventually re-introduced in Europe by Islamic scholars, triggering the emergence of European science in the Renaissance period and leading to the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century.

 

For those interested in finding out more, have a look at this review that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle a few days ago.

Thanks for that article. I posted it on my Facebook profile. It's high time people started to have multidimensional views on any given issue.

[Ludovicus]

John Freely, a historian of science at Istanbul's Bosphorus University tells the story of how ancient Greek philosophy and science dating as far back as the 6th century BC gradually spread across the Greco-Roman world. He then sets out to explain how, as the Dark Ages shrouded most of the European continent, this knowledge was preserved, translated and eventually re-introduced in Europe by Islamic scholars, triggering the emergence of European science in the Renaissance period and leading to the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century.

 

For those interested in finding out more, have a look at this review that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle a few days ago.

 

 

Thanks for the link to Freely's book.

 

Yes, this is a fascinating story that paints a very different picture of the West's modern relationship with the Muslim world. For another book with information on the same theme of cross cultural mixings that resulted in Greek knowledge's return to Western Europe see "A Vanished World: Medieval Spain's Golden Age of Enlightenment" by Chris Lowney. At Alfonso The Wise's 13th century court Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars worked in teams to translate sacred and scientific writings into several languages. This era in Spanish history is known as the Convivencia or living together.

 

Another book on the subject of Aristotle's reintroduction to Western Europe is "Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Dark Ages," Richard E. Rubenstein.

[Aurelia]

Thanks for the link to Freely's book.

 

Yes, this is a fascinating story that paints a very different picture of the West's modern relationship with the Muslim world. For another book with information on the same theme of cross cultural mixings that resulted in Greek knowledge's return to Western Europe see "A Vanished World: Medieval Spain's Golden Age of Enlightenment" by Chris Lowney. At Alfonso The Wise's 13th century court Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars worked in teams to translate sacred and scientific writings into several languages. This era in Spanish history is known as the Convivencia or living together.

 

Another book on the subject of Aristotle's reintroduction to Western Europe is "Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Dark Ages," Richard E. Rubenstein.

 

Thanks for the suggestions for further reading. When I was in Sevilla a few years ago, I remember buying a book about Moorish architecture in Southern Spain that touched on the Convivencia period. It is indeed a fascinating era.

[Gladius Hispaniensis]

That's an interesting list of books Ludovicus. I'd love to get my hands on them. What I would like even more is a book that examines the reasons and the roots of the West's misconceptions about the Islamic world. Outside of a few scholarly circles, people still tend to regard Muslim history with a stereotype that doesn't need repeating. Admittedly the actions of a few idiots out there hasn't helped at all but I'm sure the answer is much more complex and it would be really nice if someone did a study on this issue.

[caesar novus]

Ahh, if only the Islamic world was half as self doubtingly reflective as the self demonizing western intelligencia. Well, it may be the west-electuals that are out of kilter; everyone should carry some minimal level of cultural self esteem, or else it would be logical for them to swap cultures. Imagine having a member of a counterpart culture always apologizing to you for everything... would smack of them being patronizing to you or feeling too superior to have to worry about their own valid interests.

 

Me, I'm ready to show some solidarity with the neanderthal brotherhood by selling off my only non-nonfiction book "Andalusian Poems" (from the Arabic era). Wow, since I bought it long ago at a great translators reading, it got rapturous online reviews and skyrocketed in price http://www.godine.com/isbn.asp?isbn=0879238879 . Maybe I should have also grabbed that art book on Mughal architecture that seemed too big to lug home from my India pilgrimage.

 

What I would like even more is a book that examines the reasons and the roots of the West's misconceptions about the Islamic world. Outside of a few scholarly circles, people still tend to regard Muslim history with a stereotype that doesn't need repeating.

In order to provoke thought, let me continue to risk putting the wrong words into someone's mouth. Note you seem to be looking for a stereotypical conclusion of your own, as opposed to the facts which lead to their own conclusion. That is the achilles heel of some modern scholarly work... there is a conclusion based on faith (that the neanderthal sector of your culture is extremely wrong), then the facts are selected or falsified to the opposite-of-neanderthal in hopes of the culture drifting at least to a midpoint (that is more correct than EITHER endpoint).

 

It's like global warming, where patently and obviously false facts are knowingly repeated by scientists... to pull the culture in the direction they want. The end justifies the means... if they think they can pull the neanderthals in the right direction by falsehoods, they will. Or the gasbagging about everything invented in China first... no matter that gunpowder and guns were nearly useless for hundreds of years until perfected by foreigners, or that other things were reinvented independantly.

 

In the Iberian collision, I am very rusty but faintly recall some reviews of books along those lines which were not by Bernard Lewis or knee jerk chauvinists, but pointed out there were dynamics that gave the invaders ulterior motives to collude with Christians and Jews, and for the Spanish to be harsh and fearful even after reclaiming the land. I'm not up to speed enough to argue Iberian-specific points, but want to alert y'all that we neanderthals have antennae that pick up being manipulated.

 

Just before 2001 and instead of enjoying the more typical rewards of free time I took a course on Islam by an Islamic professor. It was so achingly clear we were being patronized... everything was to prove that the Koran was the exact equivilant of not only the most heartwarming passages of the Christian bible, but of modern science itself! No admission of a bit of difference, which I would have grooved on due having an anthropology background, and certainly no admission of the truely ferocious passages in the hadith. Prefer the facts, and some trust that they will be digested towards reasonable conclusions.

 

Let's recognize that all cultures have their neanderthals, and not demonize ours more than theirs (especially if their actions aren't demonic). And don't propagandize them out of their neanderthality, but shed light in terms of unadorned but contextualized facts rather than risking a blanket of political correctness which seems so everpresent.