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1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

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Re: 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

#11

Post by kypro »

curiousgal wrote: post #9
eska wrote: post #7

I was excited to hear about this due to the golden age of science in the Arabic world, which was a high point of Arabic culture that has since then unfortunately declined. But wondering how the scholar was able to do this research despite Islam, it turns out that he made god responsible for the mutation, the animals just have a desire to adapt. The article makes it sound like that's a trivial difference to Darwin, bu…

I grew up in a Muslim country, unlike Christianity, Islam accepts scientific discoveries but attributes them to God instead. For instance, we were taught about the Big Bang in an Islamic Thinking class but the trick was that "God was responsible for it".

To be fair a lot of Christians do the same and explain away contradictions in the bible as being simply "metaphors".

As more people become scientifically literate hopefully it will push religions to adopt a more rational interpretation of their beliefs.

Re: 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

#14

Post by themgt »

This Twitter thread[1] from a professor specializing in Islamic thought debunks these claims and links to a paper making the counterargument in more detail[2].

[1] https://twitter.com/shahanSean/status/1314372114946895873

[2] https://www.academia.edu/39234303/Old_Texts_New_Masks_A_Crit...

Re: 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

#15

Post by jjtheblunt »

simonh wrote: post #5
02020202 wrote: post #3

natural selection doesn't fare well with leftis minds.

Well there was Lysenkoism in Soviet Russia, but generally I don't think there's much of a correlation between socialism and a belief in or skepticism of evolution. Although Karl Marx himself was a big believer in Darwin's theory and wrote about it in glowing terms Funnily enough in modern America conservatism is very heavily correlated with creationism and Intelligent Design, through the Republican alliance with fund…

As an American your age (+- epsilon) I think the same as you.

Re: 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

#16

Post by techbio »

steveridout wrote: post #8

I'm currently reading "Story of Philosophy" by Will Durant and was struck by this even earlier reference to a process of evolution by natural selection: > Empedocles (fl. 445 B.C., in Sicily) developed to a further stage the idea of evolution. Organs arise not by design but by selection. Nature makes many trials and experiments with organisms, combining organs variously; where the combination meets environmental need…

I would be pleased to hear from a classicist on this point as Durant compiled his history well after Darwin.

Re: 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

#17

Post by rtx »

curiousgal wrote: post #9
eska wrote: post #7

I was excited to hear about this due to the golden age of science in the Arabic world, which was a high point of Arabic culture that has since then unfortunately declined. But wondering how the scholar was able to do this research despite Islam, it turns out that he made god responsible for the mutation, the animals just have a desire to adapt. The article makes it sound like that's a trivial difference to Darwin, bu…

I grew up in a Muslim country, unlike Christianity, Islam accepts scientific discoveries but attributes them to God instead. For instance, we were taught about the Big Bang in an Islamic Thinking class but the trick was that "God was responsible for it".

Accept the evolution of man from primates.

Re: 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

#18

Post by Ancapistani »

curiousgal wrote: post #9
eska wrote: post #7

I was excited to hear about this due to the golden age of science in the Arabic world, which was a high point of Arabic culture that has since then unfortunately declined. But wondering how the scholar was able to do this research despite Islam, it turns out that he made god responsible for the mutation, the animals just have a desire to adapt. The article makes it sound like that's a trivial difference to Darwin, bu…

I grew up in a Muslim country, unlike Christianity, Islam accepts scientific discoveries but attributes them to God instead. For instance, we were taught about the Big Bang in an Islamic Thinking class but the trick was that "God was responsible for it".

> unlike Christianity, Islam accepts scientific discoveries but attributes them to God instead

This seems like a very narrow concept of Christianity.

While there are certainly Christian sects that reject well-established concepts it’s far from the norm.

Re: 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

#19

Post by pvaldes »

curiousgal wrote: post #9
eska wrote: post #7

I was excited to hear about this due to the golden age of science in the Arabic world, which was a high point of Arabic culture that has since then unfortunately declined. But wondering how the scholar was able to do this research despite Islam, it turns out that he made god responsible for the mutation, the animals just have a desire to adapt. The article makes it sound like that's a trivial difference to Darwin, bu…

I grew up in a Muslim country, unlike Christianity, Islam accepts scientific discoveries but attributes them to God instead. For instance, we were taught about the Big Bang in an Islamic Thinking class but the trick was that "God was responsible for it".

> Islam accepts scientific discoveries but attributes them to God

So... Who invented computers? god. Who discovered radium? god... Who earned all nobel prices? god? :-) Exams must be really easy then.

This is politics or ideology, not science.

Ideology wearing a fur of dead science is more common that it seems nowadays (and is not exclusive from Islamic schools, it seems)

Re: 1000 Years Before Darwin, Islamic Scholars Were Writing About Natural Selection

#20

Post by Dangeranger »

kypro wrote: post #11
curiousgal wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in a Muslim country, unlike Christianity, Islam accepts scientific discoveries but attributes them to God instead. For instance, we were taught about the Big Bang in an Islamic Thinking class but the trick was that "God was responsible for it".

To be fair a lot of Christians do the same and explain away contradictions in the bible as being simply "metaphors". As more people become scientifically literate hopefully it will push religions to adopt a more rational interpretation of their beliefs.

I have had some success speaking with those who devoutly believe in God by stating that while the Universe is governed by the rules of physics and math, science doesn't address where those rules come from, and therefore they can be justified in believing that God created them. Put another way, God isn't the musician playing the symphony, God is the composer of the notes.
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