tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post5837386577211971271..comments2024-03-19T09:06:21.507-04:00Comments on Irtiqa: Science and Islam: Part 3 - The Power of DoubtSalman Hameedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327330113822656571noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-57426004879387754362009-11-29T23:16:01.084-05:002009-11-29T23:16:01.084-05:00I think all religions were and are masters of igno...I think all religions were and are masters of ignorance and specialised in maintain ignorance and darkness as much they could. The feudal times together with inquisition in the chritian world in considerad the darkest stage of humanity. However some so called westerners (por ignorants) are very busy just criticing the muslims. Howeverrr the advance of astronomy in muslin was so amazing maybe because the science was not brutally persecuted like it was in the times of cristianity in the feudal ages. The fascist cristianity needs to apologised also for these crimes agains humanityAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-82056595036403298392009-01-29T21:04:00.000-05:002009-01-29T21:04:00.000-05:00Sorry - I have been slow in postings this week (a ...Sorry - I have been slow in postings this week (a grant deadline looming). Regarding Saliba-Huff, yes they both have valid points (and are more or less unwilling to acknowledge the other perspective). When I teach "Science in the Islamic World", I give readings from both Huff and Saliba (his last chapter in his latest book deals with the decline of sciences in the Muslim world), and the class ends up dividing up in half.Salman Hameedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04327330113822656571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-49634280388546119272009-01-29T17:06:00.000-05:002009-01-29T17:06:00.000-05:00Thanks Salim! I've finally got round to reading th...Thanks Salim! I've finally got round to reading the Saliba/Huff exchange. It's made heavy going by the descent into rhetoric on both parts. I think part of the difficulty is that they're both right. <BR/><BR/>Wealth is an essential predisposing factor. But it doesn't seem enough to explain it (for reasons I point out on my blog).<BR/><BR/>So you also need the institutional a legal framework. A unique factor in Europe is the separation of church and state, made necessary by the the pope vs secular ruler conflict, which came to a head in the 12th century.<BR/><BR/>There are other factors too. I suspect the invention of the heavy plow had a lot to do with it. This lead to a huge increase in agricultural productivity in the heavy soils of northern Europe - and agricultural surpluses mean you can have people sitting around thinking rather than farming.Epiphenomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420404206189437710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-45483202373140094112009-01-23T09:55:00.000-05:002009-01-23T09:55:00.000-05:00Hi Tom,Yes, I did read Toby Huff's book and liked ...Hi Tom,<BR/><BR/>Yes, I did read Toby Huff's book and liked it very much - and he also talks about the non-standardized education in the Madrassas that failed to materialize into to a common standard. I think he is also right about the legal-university connection. By the way, have you read the exchange between Toby Huff and George Saliba? If not, it is definitely worth a read. The first one is here: <A HREF="http://baheyeldin.com/history/george-saliba-1.html" REL="nofollow">Saliba's review of Huff's book</A>, <A HREF="http://baheyeldin.com/history/toby-huff-1.html" REL="nofollow">Toby Huff's reply</A>, and then to top it off, <A HREF="http://baheyeldin.com/history/george-saliba-2.html" REL="nofollow">Saliba's response to Huff's reply</A>. <BR/><BR/>By the way, your blog (with a new name, <A HREF="http://bhascience.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">Epiphenom</A>) is wonderful.Salman Hameedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04327330113822656571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-73849509233081438592009-01-23T09:15:00.000-05:002009-01-23T09:15:00.000-05:00Salman, have you read Toby Huff's book, The Rise o...Salman, have you read Toby Huff's book, The Rise of Early Modern Science. He takes a cross-cultural look (China, Islam, Europe), and dissects the facts. One important one he identifies is the legal background. <BR/><BR/>European law created a system of corporations, which paved the way for universities. These legal structures didn't exist in the other two cultures, which made it very difficult for institutional science to take off.Epiphenomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420404206189437710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-78661323329184799732009-01-22T19:12:00.000-05:002009-01-22T19:12:00.000-05:00Gee, could it be possible that islam tends to keep...Gee, could it be possible that islam tends to keep people and populations to the 7th century standard where mohammed created this cult of hate, maiming, murder, honor killing, female sexual mutilation, robbery, pillaging, dihmmitude, and the false prophet's favorite, 'the child molestation of underage females all for the express purpose of making islam and it's sharia law supreme throughout the globe. Science has nothing to do with the backward violence islam is noted for; cutting off the head, cutting hands and feet from opposite sides.wileysnakeskinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16631339433488990622noreply@blogger.com