Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
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Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
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Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#2> Algebra was a unifying theory which allowed rational numbers, irrational numbers, geometrical magnitudes, etc., to all be treated as "algebraic objects".
> It gave mathematics a whole new development path so much broader in concept to that which had existed before, and provided a vehicle for future development of the subject.
> Another important aspect of the introduction of algebraic ideas was that it allowed mathematics to be applied to itself in a way which had not happened before.
Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#3I am not sure why this is a surprise. The early Islamic period was a cultural golden age while Europeans were lost in a dark age. Many contributions from that period resulted in advancements for mathematics, exploration, literature, astronomy, and other ares that are still felt today.
Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#4Let's not forget that the Islamic world was key (though not alone) in preserving our scientific and cultural knowledge.
At that time, Islamic society was quite modern and tolerant - and even often the destination for persecuted religious groups such as the Jews in Spain.
It is absolutely clear that modern Islam is, in fact, much more "conservative" than it used to be in the beginning. Indeed, the very beginning of Islam was a radically progressive movement in the region. It freed slaves, it gave rights to women, it treated with other religions and it abhorred hereditary and even defacto differences between humans. Many of the things that we now find so backwards were a) not as strict at the time and b) much more advanced than other societies in the region. A good example is the difference between the initial Islamic state and the Persian empire. The Persians didn't even fully understand that they were dealing with a sort of grassroots movement, and were constantly trying to find the equivalent of a high status ruler to talk to. But early leaders in the Islamic world were completely different, living in normal or even poor circumstances and operating in a much more democratic manner than was the norm.
Later, these societal properties were the reason that the Arabic world was able to preserve and advance science and culture. Sadly, this did not last into this century, but the reasons for this are complex and almost surely political.
I say this is important to remember because we need to realize that religion and - further - ethnicity (and of course race) are not ingrained attributes determining who is conservative. We need to remember that there was a time when Islam was the paragon of reason and rationality, while Christianity was the embodiment of fanatic action.
In the end, it is all politics, not the people. We do well to remember these things, because it keeps us from condemning other cultures, as it so often happens!
Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#5The word Algorithm comes from a mathematician named al-Khwarizmi. Many words that begin with Al (Arabic definite article) are of Arabic origin. Alcohol is another one :)
Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#6Most of it was based on translated works from Indian, Europeans conveniently (or out of ignorance) forget that.
Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#7The word Algorithm comes from a mathematician named al-Khwarizmi. Many words that begin with Al (Arabic definite article) are of Arabic origin. Alcohol is another one :)
I've also heard that Allah is a variant of Elohim, and was used by Christians in the region before being conquered by the Muslims.
Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#8Let's not forget that the Islamic world was key (though not alone) in preserving our scientific and cultural knowledge. At that time, Islamic society was quite modern and tolerant - and even often the destination for persecuted religious groups such as the Jews in Spain. It is absolutely clear that modern Islam is, in fact, much more "conservative" than it used to be in the beginning. Indeed, the very beginning of Is…
Islam is largely Arabic, but is it the case that things attributed to Arabia are mostly Islamic?
Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#9Let's not forget that the Islamic world was key (though not alone) in preserving our scientific and cultural knowledge. At that time, Islamic society was quite modern and tolerant - and even often the destination for persecuted religious groups such as the Jews in Spain. It is absolutely clear that modern Islam is, in fact, much more "conservative" than it used to be in the beginning. Indeed, the very beginning of Is…
Islam is largely Arabic, but is it the case that things attributed to Arabia are mostly Islamic?
Not at all, the Koran is written in the context of Arabia at the time. This is not a matter of interpretation, the book itself references local customs and laws. Therefore, our understanding, the practice and everything else in Islam is crucially shaped by the society in Arabia, and the change it brought to it. I think it is best read and understood in terms of the Delta - the change - it meant to convey (but that is my opinion).
On the other hand, however, much of the Arabic language and customs are of course shaped by Islam. For example, one difficulty of interpreting the Islam is that the words that are used now convey the connotation that was coined by centuries of religious practice, and it is difficult to know exactly what they originally meant. In addition, much like the Bible (translations), it coined many terms and semantic concepts.
Overall, the question you pose it not answerable in any way. Interpreting the core - the Koran - does not have a unique solution. And even though Islam has taken great care to preserve the text, traditions and reasons behind them, it is not clear cut. For example, the large majority of Muslisms prescribe to the Hadiths as interpretation and additional norms, but there are also Hadidths stating that you should not do that, and the Koran is enough. But on that basis, many more interpretations would be possible. Paradoxically - and in contrast to Christianity - the Muslisms who rely primarily on the book alone, are much more progressive than the ones also relying on the traditions.
I don't think your question will find a true answer.
Re: Arabic Mathematics: Forgotten Brilliance? (1999)
#10Title is slightly misleading! Most of them are Islamic but not Arabic. Khawrazmi [1], Karaji [2], Khayyam [3], and Tusi [4] were all Persian. Ibn Haytham wrote only in Arabic though.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_Musa_al-Khwarizmi
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Karaji
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khayyam
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharaf_al-D%C4%ABn_al-%E1%B9%A...