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Nov. 9th, 2004 08:11 pmPart of the beginning of the end of scientific innovation in the Islamic world (excluding individual achievements) was religious reformers seeking to oust leaders they saw as heretics and bring Islam as it was practiced by the Mohammad and his followers.
Here is the pertinent quotation from Cecil Adams explaining it better than me:
By the 18th century it was clear that the Ottomans (and the Muslim world in general) were in decline. The Islamic response was to turn inward. Reformist Muslim sects argued for a return to tradition, and what had once been a tolerant religion grew more and more conservative and xenophobic. European colonization of Muslim lands in the 19th century increased resentment of the West, which in turn contributed to Muslim isolationism in the postcolonial era. By the time oil was discovered it was too late--Muslim (and particularly Arab) countries lacked the ability to exploit their own wealth and had to rely on Europeans to do it for them. Oil money enabled small elites to become Westernized, but despite a sharp increase in literacy in the past few decades, it's fair to say that in many countries the Islamic masses remain comparatively backward and ignorant.
All of which is an object lesson, I guess. What did our Muslim brothers do wrong? Nothing. They just stopped doing a lot of the stuff they'd gotten right, and the world passed them by.
(from http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030606.html)
I am wondering if I am seeing a similar beginning of the end in America, with "values," contraception not being mentioned in sex education, and even biology books mentioning evolution coming with warnings, and all. Being part of those evil blue states, some of them have biotech research, I worry.
( where I ramble about intelligent design and almost made some dumb analogy about science and religion involving lava )
Here is the pertinent quotation from Cecil Adams explaining it better than me:
By the 18th century it was clear that the Ottomans (and the Muslim world in general) were in decline. The Islamic response was to turn inward. Reformist Muslim sects argued for a return to tradition, and what had once been a tolerant religion grew more and more conservative and xenophobic. European colonization of Muslim lands in the 19th century increased resentment of the West, which in turn contributed to Muslim isolationism in the postcolonial era. By the time oil was discovered it was too late--Muslim (and particularly Arab) countries lacked the ability to exploit their own wealth and had to rely on Europeans to do it for them. Oil money enabled small elites to become Westernized, but despite a sharp increase in literacy in the past few decades, it's fair to say that in many countries the Islamic masses remain comparatively backward and ignorant.
All of which is an object lesson, I guess. What did our Muslim brothers do wrong? Nothing. They just stopped doing a lot of the stuff they'd gotten right, and the world passed them by.
(from http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030606.html)
I am wondering if I am seeing a similar beginning of the end in America, with "values," contraception not being mentioned in sex education, and even biology books mentioning evolution coming with warnings, and all. Being part of those evil blue states, some of them have biotech research, I worry.
( where I ramble about intelligent design and almost made some dumb analogy about science and religion involving lava )
