Friday, December 16, 2011

From Arabick Roots to the Arab spring

11:50 PM | Posted by Free Game Zone | | Edit Post

Arabick roots Exhibition of the Royal Society helps to correct the "clash of civilizations" view of history of science

alkali, algebra, algorithm, alembic. You have found the model? It is no coincidence that many scientific terms in English containing the definitive Arabic article. In recent years, historians and scientists, as Jim Al-Khalili has done a fantastic job of shedding light on the origins of modern science Arabic (Arabic, includes all cultures which makes use of writing, and not only the Arab people).

In particular, the "golden age" of Arab science, between 8 and 13, who gets all the press. Thus, while the Vikings were frolicking in the north of Europe, in the eighth century Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi is the development of solutions to quadratic equations. So Alfred the Great was busy pushing the Vikings, Arabs scholar Al-Kindi was the introduction of Indian numerals in mathematics, and the Persian physician Al-Razi was a study of the differences between measles and smallpox.

is algebra, smallpox and numbers, all sorted in the late ninth century. The Arab contribution to science is certainly impressive, but what happened next? He made the scientific revolution in the West only come into action, that Europeans can pick up where he left the Arab science: an orderly end a scientific culture and the beginning of another? After a tour of the last public exhibition of the Royal Society, Roots Arabick, I can say that the answer is a resounding "no."

is something that our guide, Dr ass Turkmani Conservative, was ready to cross. Arab science does not stop suddenly. The exhibition gives us an idea of ??how, when we reach 17 and 18 centuries, the European idea and Arabic, began to mingle. There was certainly a good part of the translation, but in many cases, the Royal Society had direct contact with Arab scholars.

Dr Turkmani

shown the Book Royal Charter Company, a large volume of parchment containing the signature of each member, and there, signed in Arabic, were the names of the first three Fellows of the Royal Society Arab.

Our guide leads us down a marble staircase to a large box, entitled "From the inoculation of the vaccine." Ahh, vaccination. We know the story: Please note that the milk rarely suffered from smallpox, Edward Jenner found that smallpox could be used to vaccinate against the disease. Because it is promoted as the "father of immunology. However, almost 70 years, one of first Arab scholars, Cassem Aga, was the teaching of the Royal Society of inoculation techniques practiced in Tripoli. Turkmani Dr. explained how, in the letter, expressed his dismay Aga: how could it not be aware the Europeans of a moderate dose of smallpox virus can prevent healthy people from contracting the disease "Cassem Aga could not remember a time? before inoculation, "says our guide." I had been going on in the Arab world before anyone can remember. "
  • It was exactly what I had been waiting for: the opportunity to reduce our heroic Western scientists in place. Forget Jenner, who was the Arabic science that saved us from smallpox! But when I ventured the opinion of Dr. Turkmani corrected me: "I want to fight against the idea of ??a clash of civilizations," he said. It is a much more positive message that my attempt score points. Jenner's contribution was very important, as the vaccine against smallpox is a much safer, he said, but he was Arab scholars roll the ball.
As we continue, it became clear that European and Arab science acted alone. Dr Turkmani said a piece of paper covered with circles, triangles and parallel lines. We were looking for Alhazen problem, a nightmare trigonometry. Created by the 10 th century scholar in Iraq Ibn al-Haytham, the challenge is: given points A and B outside a circle, find a point C on the circle so that the angle ACB is bisected by the diameter passing through C.

I still have it? Do not worry. An algebraic solution was discovered in 1997 by Oxford mathematician Peter Neumann. al-Haytham had completed a geometric proof and in the 900 years between several Arab and European scholars have contributed suggestions. The mixture of points and planes can be seen in the exhibition is an attempt Christiaan Huygens in 1673.

As the tour ended, I asked Dr. Turkmani on Arab science today. It got to the point: "The Arab Spring has demonstrated the will of the people to be free to seek knowledge." He cited the increase in scientific activity in Egypt since the fall of Mubarak. Ultimately, he says, "there is no civilization, all contribute."



Find best price for : --Turkmani----Roots----Arabick--

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Blog Archive

Blogger Template created with Artisteer.