All too often in atheist circles religion and science are presented as mutually exclusive positions. However, this is a perspective that dutifully deserves to be complicated and problematized.
One way to do this is to look at the history of particular religions and the relationship they have had with and towards science. In the end, this knowledge will put atheists in a stronger position, since they will have a better and broader understanding of the complex nature of religion.
That said, I came across some information about an exhibition devoted to scientific contributions from the Muslim world. Hopefully this will help atheists have a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between science and religion and avoid making simplistic arguments or statements about science and religion.
1001 Inventions Exhibition, Science Museum, London
DATES: 21 January till 30th June 2010 (temporary closure 25 Feb to 12 March 2010)
TIMES: 10am till 6pm every day. Entrance is FREE of charge.
LOCATION: Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London. (click for directions)
What is the secret behind the way we write numbers?
When did scientists first discover how we see?
Who drew the oldest surviving map showing America?
What is the hidden meaning of the Elephant Clock?
The Science Museum hosts its latest exhibition, 1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in Our World, which traces the forgotten story of a thousand years of science from the Muslim world, from the 7th century onwards. The free exhibition, which runs from the 21 January to 30th June 2010, looks at the social, scientific and technological achievements that are credited to the Muslim world, whilst celebrating the shared scientific heritage of other cultures. The exhibition is a British based project, produced in association with the Jameel Foundation.
Featuring a diverse range of exhibits, interactive displays and dramatisation, the exhibition shows how many modern inventions, spanning fields such as engineering, medicine and design, can trace their roots back to Muslim civilisation.P.S. Ben Kingsley is playing an arab yet again!? lolz
6 comments:
Salam,
My Islamic Blog www.islamthetruth.muslimblogs.com at muslimblogs.com
As a New Atheist I want to say this adds nothing to my understanding science & religion. That's because I already knew about it. In my Fall '09 presentation on atheism I gave credit of first discovery of evolution to Muslim naturalist Al Jahiz, not Darwin or any European. One of only two pages on my facebook profile is that of the Rubaiyat, the masterpiece poem of legendary Arab Omar Khayyam.
Perhaps it is your view of atheists that lacks nuance. Please don't project unwarranted bias onto large groups of people.
@Ed: Thanks for your feedback. I'll take it into consideration.
The 1600s is a later date than I've heard in the past for the halt of intellectualism in the muslim world. But it is clear that without Arabia in from 700-1200 we would be a lot worse off. We would not only have lost their works but innumerable greek and roman works that were destroyed in europe and later retranslated from arabic.
As for why Baghdad isn't Silicon Valley today, here's a book I've been reading:
http://books.google.com/books?id=QJb16_AAePkC&pg=PA238&dq=hecht+doubt+al+ghazzali&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false
@Bob: I've always kind of wanted to read that book...
@Jason
It's very interesting but not a page turner. I've never studied much classical history, so when I come across something new (every other page) I stop and wiki it for like half an hour.
... I'm on my third renewal from the library already.
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