The Islamic World's Contribution to the Sciences and Philosophy

[The Prophet]

Often people claim that the medieval Muslims "merely" translated a few texts of the Greeks and thats all their contributions were.

Of course anybody with knowledge will know that many entire bodies of sciences and philosophy were established by the Muslims. Islamic thinkers pioneered in many many different aspects of emprical reasearch and analysis from optics to biology to sociology.

My intention with this thread is to discuss this contribution and create perhaps a sort of "archive" (in this first post) of all the great Islamic thinkers and scientist so that people can easily see the depth and wideness of this great contribition.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_philosophy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_science

..........................................................................................................................................


WORKS

The Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Muqaddimah, or the Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun (Arabic: مقدّمة ابن خلدون, "Introduction"), or the Prolegomena in Latin, is a book written by the Tunisian historian Ibn Khaldun in 1377 which records an early Muslim view of universal history. Many modern thinkers view it as the first work dealing with the philosophy of history[1] and the social sciences[2] of sociology,[1][3] demography,[3] historiography,[4] and cultural history.[5] The Muqaddimah also deals with economics as well as biology, chemistry and theology. Ibn Khaldun wrote the work in 1377 as the preface or first book of his planned world history, the Kitab al-Ibar (lit. Book of Advice), but already in his lifetime it became regarded as an independent work.

Book of Optics by Ibn Al Haytham

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Book of Optics (Arabic: Kitab al-Manazir, Latin: De Aspectibus) was a seven volume treatise on optics, physics, anatomy, mathematics and psychology written by the Iraqi Arab Muslim scientist Ibn al-Haytham (Latinized as Alhacen or Alhazen in Europe) from 1011 to 1021, when he was under house arrest in Cairo, Egypt. The book had an important influence on the development of optics, and science in general, as it drastically transformed the understanding of light and vision, and introduced the experimental scientific method. As a result, Ibn al-Haytham has been described as the "father of optics", the "pioneer of the modern scientific method", and the "first scientist".[1] The Book of Optics has been ranked alongside Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica as one of the most influential books in the history of physics.[2]

The Book of Optics also contains the earliest discussions and descriptions of psychophysics and experimental psychology,[3] the psychology of visual perception,[4] and the camera obscura, a precursor to the modern camera. In medicine and ophthalmology, the book also made important advances in eye surgery, as it correctly explained the process of sight for the first time.[5] The work also had an influence on the use of optical aids in Renaissance art and the development of the telescope and microscope.[6]

The Canon of Medicine By Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Canon of Medicine (original title in Arabic: القانون في الطب "Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb") is a 14-volume medical encyclopedia by the Persian Muslim scientist and physician Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna) in the 1020s. Written in Arabic, the book was based on a combination of his own personal experience, medieval Islamic medicine, the writings of Galen, the Indian physicians Sushruta and Charaka, and ancient Arabian and Persian medicine.[1] The Canon is considered one of the most famous books in the history of medicine.

Also known as the Qanun, which means "law" in Arabic and Persian, the Canon of Medicine remained a medical authority up until the 18th century[2] and early 19th century.[3] It set the standards for medicine in Europe and the Islamic world, and is Avicenna's most well-renowned written work. The principles of medicine described by him ten centuries ago in this book, are still taught at UCLA and Yale University, among others, as part of the history of medicine. Among other things, the book is known for the introduction of systematic experimentation and quantification into the study of physiology,[4] the discovery of the contagious nature of infectious diseases,[5] the introduction of quarantine to limit the spread of contagious diseases, the introduction of experimental medicine, evidence-based medicine, clinical trials,[6] randomized controlled trials,[7][8] efficacy tests,[9][10] clinical pharmacology,[11] and risk factor analysis, and the idea of a syndrome in the diagnosis of specific diseases.[12]

SCHOLARS

Al-Biruni

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Contributions:
- Described as the "first anthropologist"
- Astronomer, regarded the earth as spherical and the heliocentric system as a matter of fact
- Invented the first mechanical lunisolar calendar computer which employed a gear train and eight gear-wheels
- He also invented an early hodometer
- Researched and synthesised Indian sciences
- Biruni was one of the first chemists to reject the theory of the transmuation of metals supported by some alchemists.
- Wrote many works on Cartography
- "Important contributions to geodesy and geography were also made by Biruni. He introduced techniques to measure the earth and distances on it using triangulation. He found the radius of the earth to be 6339.6 km, a value not obtained in the West until the 16th century. His Masudic canon contains a table giving the coordinates of six hundred places, almost all of which he had direct knowledge."
- Father of "Indology" the deliberate study of the history and culture of Indian civilization
-He made significant contributions to mathematics, especially in the fields of theoretical and practical arithmetic, summation of series, combinatorial analysis, the rule of three, irrational numbers, ratio theory, algebraic definitions, method of solving algebraic equations, geometry, and the development of Archimedes' theorems.
- Biruni's Kitab-al-Saidana was an extensive medical encyclopedia which synthesized Islamic medicine with Indian medicine. His medical investigations included one of the earliest descriptions on Siamese twins.
- "The attraction of all things towards the centre of the earth."
- Biruni was the first to apply experimental scientific methods to mechanics, especially the fields of statics and dynamics, particularly for determining specific weights, such as those based on the theory of balances and weighing.
- In optics, Biruni was one of the first, along with Ibn al-Haytham, to discover that the speed of light was finite. Biruni was also the first to discover that the speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound.

[Mansa musa]

i'm surprised at you christopher hitchens

lol but seriously. seeking knowledge is apart of our deen

[Sher Khan]

Those who can only look up to those who seek knowledge will deem them "Christian", "European", "Islamic", "Jewish", "Chinese", etc. Those who understand what it means to seek knowledge will realize that religions do not contribute to science or philosophy, but the people following that religion or state or ideology.


It would only be fair to term them as the great Middle Eastern contributers to Science and Philosophy.


Or, with the inclusion of North Africa and Spain, it would be better to term them as the great thinkers of the Islamic World, rather than Islamic contributions.



That said, no serious scholar would argue that the thinkers of the Islamic world or civilization were anything but productive to the advancement of the sciences and philosophies.



The true error comes from opponents to Islam, who downgrade any role the scientists of the Islamic Caliphates and Emirates had to play, and the Islamists, who believe said knowledge and science happened only because of religion.



In truth, progress, philosophy, and science has been both hindered and promoted by Islam, much in the same way the Catholic Church has contributed to the development of science and literature in Europe.



Personally, I believe Islam theoretically would promote the propagation and study of science, philosophy, and literature. Said attitude in religion and the well-established, well-funded centers of learning in the Medieval Middle East made the presence of colossal intellectuals a natural occurance.

[The Prophet]

Good point Sher Khan, I retitled the thread.

So, let us learn about Al Biruni..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab%C5%A...r%C5%ABn%C4%AB

Contributions:
- Described as the "first anthropologist"
- Astronomer, regarded the earth as spherical and the heliocentric system as a matter of fact
- Invented the first mechanical lunisolar calendar computer which employed a gear train and eight gear-wheels
- He also invented an early hodometer
- Researched and synthesised Indian sciences
- Biruni was one of the first chemists to reject the theory of the transmuation of metals supported by some alchemists.
- Wrote many works on Cartography
- "Important contributions to geodesy and geography were also made by Biruni. He introduced techniques to measure the earth and distances on it using triangulation. He found the radius of the earth to be 6339.6 km, a value not obtained in the West until the 16th century. His Masudic canon contains a table giving the coordinates of six hundred places, almost all of which he had direct knowledge."
- Father of "Indology" the deliberate study of the history and culture of Indian civilization
-He made significant contributions to mathematics, especially in the fields of theoretical and practical arithmetic, summation of series, combinatorial analysis, the rule of three, irrational numbers, ratio theory, algebraic definitions, method of solving algebraic equations, geometry, and the development of Archimedes' theorems.
- Biruni's Kitab-al-Saidana was an extensive medical encyclopedia which synthesized Islamic medicine with Indian medicine. His medical investigations included one of the earliest descriptions on Siamese twins.
- "The attraction of all things towards the centre of the earth."
- Biruni was the first to apply experimental scientific methods to mechanics, especially the fields of statics and dynamics, particularly for determining specific weights, such as those based on the theory of balances and weighing.
- In optics, Biruni was one of the first, along with Ibn al-Haytham, to discover that the speed of light was finite. Biruni was also the first to discover that the speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound.

[Mansa musa]

nevermind

[The Prophet]

Finished adding in the details of the great Persian Polymath Al-Biruni.

[Scorch]

Hmm ... appalling, where is Mansa Musa on the list of the greatest thinkers?

[jankren]

Instead of calling them 'Islamic thinkers' isn't it more appropriate to call them 'Middle Eastern thinkers' or 'Arab/Persian thinkers'? Nobody calls Isaac Newton a 'Christian scientist'. We call him 'Western scientist'.

[Safekeeper]

Good point. Nevertheless, the point is that Islamic countries have made significant contributions to the world.

[Chlodwig I.]

You could say that these things have been discovered in despite of Islam.
I don't think that Islam was the Power behind these developments.

There is a saying that Believe can move mountains

Religon can't move mountains but it can place mountains where none has been before.

[The Prophet]

You could say that these things have been discovered in despite of Islam.
I don't think that Islam was the Power behind these developments.

There is a saying that Believe can move mountains

Religon can't move mountains but it can place mountains where none has been before.

You're partially correct. I think at the end of the day it was the culture of Islamic civilization at that time that promoted these great thinkers. Not necessarily the dogma of Islam itself.

Instead of calling them 'Islamic thinkers' isn't it more appropriate to call them 'Middle Eastern thinkers' or 'Arab/Persian thinkers'? Nobody calls Isaac Newton a 'Christian scientist'. We call him 'Western scientist'.

Calling them "Islamic" or "Muslim" thinkers is important because that was indeed the common "civilizational" denominator of these thinkers. I use the term "Islamic" or "Muslim" not in the religious sense, but in the civilizational sense. To me its no different than saying "Western European". The problem with saying "persian" or "mideastern" is that it rarely applies to these thinkers broadly. You have to remember that many of these scienties were communicating and discussing matters and sharing sources even though one might have been in Spain and another in eastern Iran. So what really is the common denominater is that they were citizens of an emirate that was part of the larger Islamic civilization.

[Gary88]

the radius of the earth to be 6339.6 km, a value not obtained in the West until the 16th century. His Masudic canon contains a table giving the coordinates of six hundred places, almost all of which he had direct knowledge."

let us not forget Erastophenes had already worked out the circumference so this achievment in itself wasn't a particularly spectacular first, noe the less he did great things.

[The Prophet]

let us not forget Erastophenes had already worked out the circumference so this achievment in itself wasn't a particularly spectacular first, noe the less he did great things.

No doubt. Just like how western scientists of the renaisance built lots of their basic knowledge off the works of the muslim scientists, the Muslim sciencists themselves built their knowledge off the works of the greeks - whom the Muslim thinkers deeply admired.

[Denny Crane!]

It was merely indicative of culture at the time. The countries and empires at that set great worth in science and tolerance. Education was prized not scorned.

It is a shame that there aren't many countries who value learning so much. The West is consumed by the cult of the celebrity and vapid ideals while the middle east is quite frankly barbaric and not encouraging education, but fanaticism and blind faith.

Humans are great thinkers though and there is still great work being done, great minds being produced. This is a good thread, I haven't really looked to much into the history of that time or the works produced and I shall browse them now.

[The Prophet]

I added a new work to the OP..

The Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun

The Muqaddimah, or the Muqaddimah of Ibn Khaldun (Arabic: مقدّمة ابن خلدون, "Introduction"), or the Prolegomena in Latin, is a book written by the Tunisian historian Ibn Khaldun in 1377 which records an early Muslim view of universal history. Many modern thinkers view it as the first work dealing with the philosophy of history[1] and the social sciences[2] of sociology,[1][3] demography,[3] historiography,[4] and cultural history.[5] The Muqaddimah also deals with economics as well as biology, chemistry and theology. Ibn Khaldun wrote the work in 1377 as the preface or first book of his planned world history, the Kitab al-Ibar (lit. Book of Advice), but already in his lifetime it became regarded as an independent work.

[Gary88]

No doubt. Just like how western scientists of the renaisance built lots of their basic knowledge off the works of the muslim scientists, the Muslim sciencists themselves built their knowledge off the works of the greeks - whom the Muslim thinkers deeply admired.

indeed, as a great man once said

We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on. - Richard Feynman

[Lemonjello]

This thread is basically just a pissing contest between the Muslim and Western posters. What Islamic society did is in the past, and it does not change what it has become a whet. If anything, the philosophical and scientific heights the Islamic world rose to only make its current savagery all the more inexcusable.

[The Prophet]

This thread is basically just a pissing contest between the Muslim and Western posters. What Islamic society did is in the past, and it does not change what it has become a whet. If anything, the philosophical and scientific heights the Islamic world rose to only make its current savagery all the more inexcusable.

WHAT?

There is literally no pissing content going on here. This threads purpose it to build up a sort of "archive" of all the great contributions and knowledge that was added to humanity during the periods of the 8th to 15th centuries.

[Rush Limbaugh]

This thread is basically just a pissing contest between the Muslim and Western posters

None of whom invented this stuff. It was the Indians.

[Lemonjello]

WHAT?

There is literally no pissing content going on here. This threads purpose it to build up a sort of "archive" of all the great contributions and knowledge that was added to humanity during the periods of the 8th to 15th centuries.

Then why isn't it titled as such, and only requests that Moslem thinkers be included?