Islam is the second largest religion in the world, yet it is currently underrepresented in the scientific community. Out of 1.6 billion Muslims, only two have won the Nobel Prize in Science. This is not always the case. Many centuries ago, Islamic beliefs gave rise to many of the world’s most advanced advances in physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and many other scientific fields. The Rise and Fall of Islamic Science examines this troubling difference and outlines the historical changes that may have contributed to it.
The golden age of Islam took place during the Abbasid dynasty. At their most prolific, the Abbasids effectively globalized the pursuit of knowledge, working feverishly to translate into Arabic every scholarly text they could find. The rise of cheap paper production, combined with the government’s great emphasis on knowledge acquisition, played a major role in bringing about a knowledge renaissance. Her translations traveled the world, preserved the wisdom of previous generations of scholars, and inspired numerous new discoveries in fields as diverse as mathematics and medicine. Ultimately, this openness to new streams of knowledge inspired much of the Islamic world to embrace concepts like free will, rational thought, and a loose interpretation of the Quran.
This all began to unravel with the decline of the Abbasid Empire following the Mongol invasion in 1258. Independent thought became an endangered commodity as the anti-rationalist faction took power. If the Quran was not interpreted strictly literally, the punishment could be severe. As Islam moved further and further away from modern intellectual pursuits, many scholars were banished or executed. By avoiding violence and repression for innovation, the Muslim world paved the way for Europe to ascend to the throne of scientific progress. This set a disturbing template for future generations; indeed, the struggle between pious tradition and commitment to modernity rages on in the Muslim world to this day.
Detailed and insightful, The Rise and Fall of Islamic Science takes a comprehensive look at a long and fascinating history, revealing much of the oppression and upheaval we witness today.
