Comments on: Overhauling the standard narrative of the Renaissance http://pixelisation.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/overhauling-the-standard-narrative-of-the-renaissance/ the illusion of hope Wed, 14 May 2008 16:09:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: Bradley Steffens http://pixelisation.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/overhauling-the-standard-narrative-of-the-renaissance/#comment-1225 Bradley Steffens Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:49:38 +0000 http://pixelisation.wordpress.com/?p=451#comment-1225 I couldn't agree more. As I point out in my new book, <i><a href="http://www.ibnalhaytham.net" rel="nofollow">Ibn al-Haytham</a>: <a href="http://www.ibnalhaytham.net" rel="nofollow">First Scientist</a></i>, Islamic scholars made significant advances in mathematics and developed the scientific method centuries before the Europeans. These advances eventually made their way through Spain and into Europe. They shaped not only the way European scholars looked at science, but set a new standard for truth and knowledge generally. No longer would mere opinions, rhetoric, authorities, or even logic be sufficient to establish the truth regarding any phenomenon. Following in the footsteps of Ibn al-Haytham, who was known in the West as <a href="http://www.ibnalhaytham.net" rel="nofollow">Alhazen</a> or <a href="http://www.ibnalhaytham.net" rel="nofollow">Alhacen</a>, and other Muslim scholars, the Europeans began to expect facts to be backed with tangible, physical proof, arrived at objectively, using the scientific method. I couldn’t agree more. As I point out in my new book, Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist, Islamic scholars made significant advances in mathematics and developed the scientific method centuries before the Europeans. These advances eventually made their way through Spain and into Europe. They shaped not only the way European scholars looked at science, but set a new standard for truth and knowledge generally. No longer would mere opinions, rhetoric, authorities, or even logic be sufficient to establish the truth regarding any phenomenon. Following in the footsteps of Ibn al-Haytham, who was known in the West as Alhazen or Alhacen, and other Muslim scholars, the Europeans began to expect facts to be backed with tangible, physical proof, arrived at objectively, using the scientific method.

]]> By: Julaybib Ayoub http://pixelisation.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/overhauling-the-standard-narrative-of-the-renaissance/#comment-1090 Julaybib Ayoub Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:48:46 +0000 http://pixelisation.wordpress.com/?p=451#comment-1090 What needs to happen, in my view, is to stop assuming the global historical narrative and the post-Renaissance European historical narrative are equivalent. Globalisation was happening a long time before 'The West' jumped on the bandwagon, and the future looks very much 'the West' will not remain hegemonic for much longer. Historically, see: Hobson, J. M. (2006) 'The Eastern Origins of Western Civilization' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) What needs to happen, in my view, is to stop assuming the global historical narrative and the post-Renaissance European historical narrative are equivalent. Globalisation was happening a long time before ‘The West’ jumped on the bandwagon, and the future looks very much ‘the West’ will not remain hegemonic for much longer.

Historically, see: Hobson, J. M. (2006) ‘The Eastern Origins of Western Civilization’ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)

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