Along these lines, for anyone who's interested, Lindberg's _Theories of Vision from Al-Kindi to Kepler_ is pretty cool, too.
Kepler figured out optics (without which we couldn't begin to understand vision); it's not clear that he relied a great deal on Islamic science, but it is clear from the book that there was a bunch of science going on in the Islamic world. It's a good read. m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor and Chair Department of Psychology College of Arts & Sciences Baker University -- > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 2:02 PM > To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) > Subject: [tips] Antecedents of Eurocentric science > > For some reason or other, from time to time we've been > preoccupied with the question of Eurocentric science, and the > extent to which other civilizations, in particular > African-based ones, have contributed to and advanced European science. > > We are not alone. _Nature_ has just reviewed two books which > attempt to illuminate on this question. The books are: > > Aladdin's Lamp: How Greek Science Came to Europe Through the > Islamic World by John Freely > > Science and Islam: A History by Ehsan Masood > > According to the reviewer of both, Yasmin Khan, > > "It has been widely accepted that the Islamic civilization > had merely a bridging role in preserving the wealth of > inherited ancient Greek knowledge ready for future > consumption by the West. This pervasive belief, now known to > be a damaging distortion of history, is explored in two new books." > > However, Khan criticizes the apparently conventional view of > Freely that the flow was Greek to Islam to the West, and > prefers the more complex thesis of Masood that the influence > was a two way street, with knowledge flowing in both > directions. In particular, he notes that Islam did not merely > pass knowledge along from the Greeks, but changed and > improved it in significant ways. > > According to Khan, both authors showed an appreciation for > the masterpiece of Ibn al_Haytham, the Book of Optics, > > "which is considered one of the most influential works > produced in Islamic science, representing a definitive > advance beyond the achievements of the ancient Greeks in > their study of light...Masood elaborates further, asserting > that al-Haytham pioneered a progenitor to the modern > scientific method back in the eleventh century. Al-Haytham's > investigations were based on experimental rather than > abstract evidence, and his experiments were systematic and > repeatable, enabling him to establish empirical proof of the > intromission theory of light - that vision is the result of > light from objects entering the eye. Two centuries later, > al-Haytham's work had a profound influence on Roger Bacon". > > It is a bold claim that the scientific method has its origins > in Islam, but apparently a claim with merit. > > If I can add my own two bits, I've stumbled upon an > interesting figure in the early history of chemistry, a woman > known as Mary or Maria the Jewess (among other names). She > lived in Alexandria some time around the third century CE. > She's credited with being a founder of alchemy and of > apparatus and procedures which the later science of chemistry > depended on. One of them, the "bain Marie" is a water bath > still in use today. > > As a Jew, a woman, and an Alexandrian, she obviously > represented something other than a white, Christian, male, > Eurocentric source of knowledge. > > Stephen > > Nature review (free): > http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7235/full/458149a.html#a1 > > Maria the Jewess: > > http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi964.htm > http://tinyurl.com/cw5ejw > > Stephen > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. > Professor of Psychology, Emeritus > Bishop's University e-mail: [email protected] > 2600 College St. > Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 > Canada > > Subscribe to discussion list (TIPS) for the teaching of > psychology at http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/tips/ > -------------------------------------------------------------- > --------- > > --- > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > Bill Southerly ([email protected]) > --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
