Theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili, President of the British Humanist Association last night delivered a lecture at the Central Manchester Friends Meeting House to a packed auditorium. He holds the Chair of the University of Surrey’s Public Engagement in Science, and is well known for his BBC productions; signed copies of his books sold out within minutes, before the lecture had even started.
He opened the lecture by explaining that its title – The Forgotten Legacy of Arabic Science – was a reference to the language, rather than the ethnicity, of the practitioners whose life and work he was to elucidate. The translation of the great works of Ancient Greek science into Arabic drove much of the world’s scientific progress during what is eurocentrically known as ‘The Dark Ages’, he continued, and the translation of these scientists’ work into Latin was a key aspect of the beginning of the European Renaissance’s scientific revolution. Arabic contributions to mathematics and science can be traced through many of the words used in English, such as algebra, algorithm and even gibberish.
In addition to the natural and physical sciences, social sciences can also trace a lineage back to Arabic scholars, such as Ibn Khaldun one of the founding fathers of historiography, sociology and economics.
Jim lamented the view in some parts of the contemporary Arabic world of science as un-Islamic, highlighting its heritage full of historical genii and polymaths like al-Kindi, Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn Sina and al-Biruni, whose achievements should be regarded alongside those of Newton, Galileo and Aristotle.
A film of the event will be made available on our YouTube channel.
Notes
Jim Al-Khalil’s book ‘Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Arabic Science’ is available through the BHA amazon page.
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.