|
|
Post by captainzman on Dec 20, 2010 18:33:01 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by sandwiches on Dec 20, 2010 22:44:34 GMT
There was an article in the Independent a while ago (March 2006) in connection with the same exhibition in London: www.independent.co.uk/news/science/how-islamic-inventors-changed-the-world-469452.htmlHow Islamic inventors changed the world
From coffee to cheques and the three-course meal, the Muslim world has given us many innovations that we take for granted in daily life. As a new exhibition opens, Paul Vallely nominates 20 of the most influential- and identifies the men of genius behind themThere was a response to that article here: wikiislam.net/wiki/20_Islamic_Inventions
20 Islamic InventionsIt seems silly to over egg the pudding and would usually offer an easy target for satire but certain subjects do not react well to satire (or cartoons etc)? |
|
endrefodstad
Bachelor of the Arts
Sumer ys Icumen in!
Posts: 54
|
Post by endrefodstad on Mar 11, 2011 15:17:30 GMT
The science museum where I currently work is considering presenting the 1001 Inventions exhibition. Does anybody here know of any publications or articles presenting critical and reasonable reviews of it? I find the "20 things the muslims did not invent" link above to be written in a polemical style similar to that of the 1001 inventions book itself.
I have not read through the entire 1001 Inventions exhbition companion book (2007, 2nd edition), but I have found a number of questionable sections in it on a brief reading of a few chapters. There is no mention of Pseudo-Geber at all in the article about Jâbir ibn Hayyân, nor is there any mention of previous chinese flying experiments in a greatly detailed section on Flight: Abbas ibn Firnas' flight is presented without any mention of the late attribution (17th century?) of the source detailing it. I find it difficult to believe that they could have missed poor Yuan Huangtou's forced glider experiment from the 6th century...it is in Needham (http://bit.ly/evl2fr), which is one of the places you'd go to first for background history on chinese technology.
Gunpowder weapons are stated to have been what won the battle of al-Mansourah...the source being a BBC reporter? I certainly cannot recall that from the primary sources I know. The book also conveniently "forgets" to mention who cast Mehmed II's grand cannon.
Somehow, Zheng He gets a place as well (with emphasis on him being a muslim, not chinese)...and the magnetic compass is presented as an islamic invention...there is no mention of the much earlier chinese compasses, as far as I can see. The first instance of magnetic compasses in arabic sources is some 50 years after it was first mentioned i european sources, isn't it? While I regard it as likely that, if the magnetic compass was technology that diffused from china to western europe through muslim territories, it seems odd that the book does not comment on this at all.
There are also a number of claims I find difficult to believe but know too little about to comment on. It would be really sad if the examples I found with a short look on different parts of the book are characteristic of the entire exhibition. A lot of good work has been done on the history of science and technology in the arab-muslim world by serious scholars. It would be unfortunate if this is to be ruined by a heavily polemical exhibition.
I would really appreciate any further information on this subject from the knowledgeable people on this forum.
|
|
|
|
Post by James Hannam on Mar 11, 2011 17:46:13 GMT
|
|
endrefodstad
Bachelor of the Arts
Sumer ys Icumen in!
Posts: 54
|
Post by endrefodstad on Mar 13, 2011 7:52:48 GMT
The exaggeration of Islamic achievements seems prevalent and is completely unnecessary given they have enough to cheer about already. Exactly my thought as well. There must be more people here that have some truck with this particular exhibition? Its webpage can be found here: www.1001inventions.com/zameel, you often respond to debates about muslim science. Have you seen the exhibition? |
|
