Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Nalanda University flourished for more than seven centuries

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 296 posts

Re: Nalanda University flourished for more than seven centuries

#61

Post by bradchris »

SeanLuke wrote: post #12
jltsiren wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends on how you define a university. Medieval European universities are often considered the first true universities, because they are direct ancestors of modern universities, and their traditions have survived and evolved into what we see today. There were earlier institutes of higher education all around the world (including Europe), but those traditions have not survived.

> It depends on how you define a university. I think the institution that invented the term probably gets to define it. And that is the University of Bologna.

So what about Bachelor and Baccalaureate both being words that have their pre-Latin roots in Arabic: Bihaqq Al-riwayatt (“the right to restate the learning to somebody else“).

Or the fact that ceremonial graduation garb in the EU and US, from the robes to the caps, is also based in Arab tradition.

The medieval Enlightenment and subsequent Renaissance was huge for Europe, yes, but just as important to realize today is that a lot of it was taking heavy inspiration from other cultures and regions and “Europeanizing” it and then calling it their own (I.E. a cultural exchange)

Re: Nalanda University flourished for more than seven centuries

#62

Post by mytailorisrich »

cafed00d wrote: post #50
SeanLuke wrote: post #17

[dead]

If you're suggesting that the University of Bologna was secular (not religious) in the 11th century, then that is misleading. > then hired scholars from the city's pre-existing lay and ecclesiastical schools to teach them subjects such as liberal arts, notarial law, theology, and ars dictaminis (scrivenery) > The university is historically notable for its teaching of canon and civil law Please note the phrases .. ecc…

> If you're suggesting that the University of Bologna was secular (not religious) in the 11th century, then that is misleading.

I interpret "religious school" as a school that teaches religion (a 'madrasa' in Islam).

It seems that Al-Qarawiyin was mostly that during most of its history though not only (and it was founded as a mosque):

"Among the subjects taught around this period or shortly after were traditional religious subjects such as the Quran and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and other sciences like grammar, rhetoric, logic, medicine, mathematics, astronomy and geography." [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_al-Qarawiyyin

Re: Nalanda University flourished for more than seven centuries

#63

Post by kwhitefoot »

naravara wrote: post #41
calt wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the meaning of University, and why don't these old "universities" meet the criteria?

Western academia has a bias towards defining religious institutions out of consideration as true academia. You see this in philosophy departments too where philosophers love to argue that Eastern philosophy is "more religion than philosophy" even though that statement is basically begging a whole host of questions about what religion and philosophy even is. Religion, as an element of society that is discrete from our…

> Western academia has a bias towards defining religious institutions out of consideration as true academia.

My alma mater offers a BA in Theology and Religion: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/theolog...

Oxford has a Faculty of Theology and Religion: https://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/

Cambridge (the original one) has a Faculty of Divinity: https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/

Perhaps what you say is true of lesser institutions.

Re: Nalanda University flourished for more than seven centuries

#64

Post by tw600040 »

shaan7 wrote: post #25
steponlego wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you aware that there are many dozens of such countries?

Yes, hence the "should". Just because something exists doesn't mean it is always justified or sensible.

It's like weapons policy. If country A is going to have them country B will be foolish not to have them.

Re: Nalanda University flourished for more than seven centuries

#65

Post by thebradbain »

mzs wrote: post #56
teleforce wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saying that proper university did not exist before 11th century is disingenuous at its best and propaganda at its worst. It's like saying there is no proper engineering existed before civil engineering (civilian engineering) while military engineering has existed since time immomerial. There were numerous institutions of higher learning or universities in Muslim Spain, Middle East and Italian Sicily that the latter w…

https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=baccalaureus&old...

http://www.salaam.co.uk/new-light-on-the-origin-of-the-term-...

http://www.wata.cc/forums/archive/index.php/t-16001.html

Re: Nalanda University flourished for more than seven centuries

#68

Post by Jtsummers »

mzs wrote: post #60
canadaduane wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every university older than 100 years that I can think of evolved from a religious school at some point in its history.

NYU and its predecessor are counter examples.

As are the land grant schools in the US, from the late 1800s. And UVA, founded in 1819.

Re: Nalanda University flourished for more than seven centuries

#69

Post by vinay427 »

steponlego wrote: post #11
22SAS wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Why wouldn’t Hindus have a country? Muslims got two in the partition.

Assuming you mean Pakistan and Bangladesh, the latter was not formed in the partition and was a province of Pakistan.
Post reply on HN