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Kraken
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The Arabs are known for having contributed to the development of science, mathematics, medicine, astronomy and philosophy during the Middle Ages. However, many of these advances were not original to the Arabs, but were based on the works of other earlier civilizations, especially the Persians, Indians, and Greeks.
For example, the famous Persian mathematician and astronomer Al-Khwarizmi, considered the father of algebra, borrowed many concepts and terms from Indian and Persian mathematicians, such as the decimal number system, zero, linear and quadratic equations, and use of letters to represent unknowns. Furthermore, algebra has its origin in the Arabic word al-jabr, which means "to put together broken parts", but this term was coined by the Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi in his book "Kitab al-jabr wa-l-muqabala" ( The book of restoration and reduction).
Another example is the physician and philosopher Avicenna, whose book "The Canon of Medicine" was one of the most influential works in the history of medicine. However, Avicenna drew heavily on the writings of Greek physicians, such as Hippocrates and Galen, and Persian physicians, such as Razi and Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari. Avicenna also incorporated elements of Indian medicine, such as the concept of the four humors and the use of spices and herbs.
A third example is the Arab physicist and optician Ibn Al-Haytham, considered the father of modern optics. Ibn Al-Haytham performed numerous experiments with light, mirrors, lenses and the camera obscura, and formulated the laws of reflection and refraction. He also correctly explained how vision works, and criticized Aristotle's emission theory, which held that the eyes emitted rays of light. Ibn Al-Haytham relied on the observations of Greek physicists, such as Euclid and Ptolemy, and Indian physicists, such as Aryabhata and Brahmagupta.
A fourth example is that of Arabic numerals, which are what we use today to write numbers. These numbers were not invented by the Arabs, but by Indian mathematicians, who developed a positional and decimal number system, which included the zero symbol. The Arabs learned this system from the Indians, and called it "Hindu numbers." The Arabs introduced it to Europe, where they began to be called "Arabic numerals." However, the symbols we use today are different from those used by the Arabs, as they have been modified throughout history.
In addition to these examples, it can be said that the first Muslim philosophers were influenced by Neoplatonism, a philosophical current that was based on the ideas of Plato and that developed in the Hellenistic world. Neoplatonism combined Aristotelianism and Platonism with other elements introduced through Islam, such as theology, mysticism, and cosmology. Neoplatonism was characterized by the idea of emanation, which linked the transcendence of God with the corporeal reality of his creation. Islamic Neoplatonism was introduced by Al-Farabi, although Avicenna had a greater influence. Both authors present a complex scheme of emanation, which starts from the absolute unity of God and descends through different levels of existence until reaching the material world. Islamic Neoplatonism had its peak in the 10th and early 11th centuries, but suffered a strong reaction in the 11th century, especially by Al-Ghazali, who represents the most severe attack of Islamic theology on philosophy, and on Neoplatonism. in particular. Al-Ghazali criticized the incoherence, contradiction and heresy of the Neoplatonic philosophers, and defended the superiority of revelation and faith over reason and speculation. His criticism provoked a counter-reaction from Ibn Rushd, who wrote a systematic refutation of Al-Ghazali's criticism of Greco-Arabic philosophy. However, Ibn Rushd also rejected the theses of the Neoplatonic philosophers, and was more faithful to Aristotelianism. After Ibn Rushd's death in 1198, the debate on Neoplatonism in Islam was virtually closed, and the survival of Neoplatonic thought within Islam was mostly limited to Ismailiism, a branch of Shiism.
Thus, it can be stated that the Arabs were not the true authors of many of the advances attributed to them, but rather that they transmitted, translated, adapted and expanded them from the sources of other, older and more advanced cultures. The Arabs were rather intermediaries and disseminators of knowledge, but not its creators.
The Arabs are known for having contributed to the development of science, mathematics, medicine, astronomy and philosophy during the Middle Ages. However, many of these advances were not original to the Arabs, but were based on the works of other earlier civilizations, especially the Persians, Indians, and Greeks.
For example, the famous Persian mathematician and astronomer Al-Khwarizmi, considered the father of algebra, borrowed many concepts and terms from Indian and Persian mathematicians, such as the decimal number system, zero, linear and quadratic equations, and use of letters to represent unknowns. Furthermore, algebra has its origin in the Arabic word al-jabr, which means "to put together broken parts", but this term was coined by the Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi in his book "Kitab al-jabr wa-l-muqabala" ( The book of restoration and reduction).
Another example is the physician and philosopher Avicenna, whose book "The Canon of Medicine" was one of the most influential works in the history of medicine. However, Avicenna drew heavily on the writings of Greek physicians, such as Hippocrates and Galen, and Persian physicians, such as Razi and Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari. Avicenna also incorporated elements of Indian medicine, such as the concept of the four humors and the use of spices and herbs.
A third example is the Arab physicist and optician Ibn Al-Haytham, considered the father of modern optics. Ibn Al-Haytham performed numerous experiments with light, mirrors, lenses and the camera obscura, and formulated the laws of reflection and refraction. He also correctly explained how vision works, and criticized Aristotle's emission theory, which held that the eyes emitted rays of light. Ibn Al-Haytham relied on the observations of Greek physicists, such as Euclid and Ptolemy, and Indian physicists, such as Aryabhata and Brahmagupta.
A fourth example is that of Arabic numerals, which are what we use today to write numbers. These numbers were not invented by the Arabs, but by Indian mathematicians, who developed a positional and decimal number system, which included the zero symbol. The Arabs learned this system from the Indians, and called it "Hindu numbers." The Arabs introduced it to Europe, where they began to be called "Arabic numerals." However, the symbols we use today are different from those used by the Arabs, as they have been modified throughout history.
In addition to these examples, it can be said that the first Muslim philosophers were influenced by Neoplatonism, a philosophical current that was based on the ideas of Plato and that developed in the Hellenistic world. Neoplatonism combined Aristotelianism and Platonism with other elements introduced through Islam, such as theology, mysticism, and cosmology. Neoplatonism was characterized by the idea of emanation, which linked the transcendence of God with the corporeal reality of his creation. Islamic Neoplatonism was introduced by Al-Farabi, although Avicenna had a greater influence. Both authors present a complex scheme of emanation, which starts from the absolute unity of God and descends through different levels of existence until reaching the material world. Islamic Neoplatonism had its peak in the 10th and early 11th centuries, but suffered a strong reaction in the 11th century, especially by Al-Ghazali, who represents the most severe attack of Islamic theology on philosophy, and on Neoplatonism. in particular. Al-Ghazali criticized the incoherence, contradiction and heresy of the Neoplatonic philosophers, and defended the superiority of revelation and faith over reason and speculation. His criticism provoked a counter-reaction from Ibn Rushd, who wrote a systematic refutation of Al-Ghazali's criticism of Greco-Arabic philosophy. However, Ibn Rushd also rejected the theses of the Neoplatonic philosophers, and was more faithful to Aristotelianism. After Ibn Rushd's death in 1198, the debate on Neoplatonism in Islam was virtually closed, and the survival of Neoplatonic thought within Islam was mostly limited to Ismailiism, a branch of Shiism.
Thus, it can be stated that the Arabs were not the true authors of many of the advances attributed to them, but rather that they transmitted, translated, adapted and expanded them from the sources of other, older and more advanced cultures. The Arabs were rather intermediaries and disseminators of knowledge, but not its creators.
