Islamic contributions to science, technology...

[lightbulb247]

architecture and art. Things people seem to forget.

[factor-fiction]

Please can you remind me

[beso]

These were contributions by people.

The religion of the person is entirely irrelevant.

[flip_flop]

Blimey, I didn't realise Muslims influenced the building of the Parthenon.

Pretty mean feat considering Islam didn't begin until about 1200 years after it was built.

[emmie]

yes contributions by men even some women would you believe, what has their religion got to do with it. No one ever, or rarely mentions Darwin's religion, or Shakespeare or Dickens for that matter.

[Brenden]

I don't know to this day em what religion they belonged to.

[jake-the-peg]

That's not quite fair Beso, there were great Islamic contributions to Science and technology and they were under the patronage of the Caliphs of the time - unfortunately they rather petered out a thousand years ago.

It's been rather meagre since then.

But it's a salutory lesson as Greek and then Islamic Science and technology faltered and died so could ours if we don't nurture it

[doctordb]

the alhambra is beautiful piece of islamic creativity, of course the islamic world was more enlightened and progressive in the tenth century than it is now.

[jake-the-peg]

Incidently if you don't think religion was important compare and contrast the way Science was valued in the Islamic world 1000 years ago to how Roger Bacon was viewed with suspicion and confined to monastries.

The boot is rather on the other foot now

[beso]

Islamic or Christian, religion supported science while they assumed that it would help them to "better know their God".

The moment science showed facts contrary to their dogma it was no longer welcomed.

[emmie]

if these people across the centuries had no religion, would they still have been enlightened, enough to create, to think, dream, become philosophers, erect beautiful buildings, and make scientific discoveries, the answer surely must be yes.
As to Darwin, it didn't sit well i believe with his wife who was religious, forget which one, that he became an atheist. Should it matter, science, the arts, life is full of people with no religion, why should being a Muslim make a jot of difference, the people would have done it anyway irrespective.

[jake-the-peg]

Surely yes?

I can't see us having cathedrals without religion can you?

[beso]

Religion more often got in the way of science than helped it.

They always took the lion's share of the resources from the societies they ran and squandered it on pointless opulent buildings and golden ornaments while ordinary people lived in squalour.

[WaldoMcFroog]

As Jake has already mentioned, there was once a great patronage of science under the Caliphs. However, there have also been periods of great scientific advance from cultures with different religions.

It is very difficult to imagine in what way such developments could be said to be any sort of convincing evidence for any particular deity.

[beso]

We would be better off without the cathedrals.

[jomifl]

The lesson that Sith has inadvertantly highlighted is the when religion and belief dominates society over reason then progress and standard of living suffers.

[jomifl]

Back on your usual shift then Sith?

[jake-the-peg]

Would we be better off without Cathedrals?

At the time huge resources were poured into them providing employment for thousands. I have little doubt that money would otherwise have found its way to funding foreign wars.

It encouraged the development of knowledge in Engineering and Geometry.

The libraries associated with great monastries and Cathedrals preserved the writings of many of the ancient authors after the Islamic nations fell into decline.

Yes there was apalling behaviour not my mention of Bacon's treatment at the time - but you have to look at it in the round.

It's not just a simple black and white

[beso]

The huge resources "providing employment" could have just as easily been spent on paying them to do something useful to those people.

[emmie]

they just might have been buildings with no connotation of religion, who knows. It's too late to argue the toss as there they are, Ely, Salisbury, and so forth, glorious architecture. I never go into churches, cathedrals with the idea its a place of worship. Just to admire the handiwork.

[johnny37]

Im tempted to counter that comment with all the negatives but will resist.