Science, Technology and Society - Intellectual revolutions that defined society - Middle East

Summary

This video script explores the intellectual revolution's impact on society, focusing on the Middle East. It defines the intellectual revolution as Greek speculation before Socrates, emphasizing natural laws and human discovery. The script highlights the significant contributions of Arabic scientists to various fields like mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. It also discusses the Middle East's rich history, the Islamic Golden Age, and the House of Wisdom's role in translating and preserving knowledge. Notable scholars like Al-Khwarizmi and their contributions to algebra and astronomy are also featured.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The intellectual revolution refers to Greek speculation about the nature of the universe before Socrates, also known as pre-Socratic or first philosophy.
• 🔍 It is characterized by the belief in natural causes, natural order, and the human ability to discover laws of nature.
• 🌐 Arabic contributions to science are monumental, with strategic breakthroughs in various fields including mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine, and optics.
• 📜 Cuneiform, invented in Mesopotamia, is the world's first writing system, and significant advancements in governance and law codes were established.
• 🌌 The Middle East civilization is known for inventing the astrolabe, developing algebra, trigonometry, and other numeric systems.
• 🏛️ The region is often called the cradle of civilization, with the first complex urban centers emerging in Mesopotamia, Sumeria, and Babylonia.
• 📚 Islamicate scholars, influenced by Islamic civilization, made significant contributions to mathematics with theorems like algebra, and enriched scientific vocabulary with Arabic terms.
• 🏙️ Baghdad, founded by Caliphate Almanzor, became a center of learning and the largest urban area during the Islamic Golden Age.
• 📖 The House of Wisdom was an international center for translation and research, housing one of the largest libraries and translating important foreign works into Arabic and Persian.
• 🌐 The Translation Movement involved scholars traveling worldwide to gather knowledge and translate it into Arabic, contributing to the enrichment of Arabic scientific and philosophical thought.
• 👨‍🏫 Ibn Rashid, a 12th-century polymath, made significant contributions to both Islamic and Christian worlds, defending Aristotle's rationality against Islamic conservatism.

Q & A

What is the intellectual revolution?

The intellectual revolution refers to Greek speculation about the nature of the world before the time of Socrates, also known as pre-Socratic or non-theological thought. It is characterized by the belief in natural causes for events, an inherent natural order, and the idea that humans can discover the laws of nature.

How did Arabic contributions impact science?

Arabic contributions to science were monumentally significant, with Arab scientists making strategic breakthroughs in fields such as mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine, and optics. They laid the foundation for modern astronomy and mathematics.

What is the significance of cuneiform in the history of writing?

Cuneiform is recognized as the first writing system, invented in Sumerian Mesopotamia, and it played a crucial role in the development of early civilizations by facilitating record-keeping and communication.

What are some of the major discoveries attributed to Middle Eastern civilization?

Middle Eastern civilization is credited with the invention of the astrolabe for navigation, the development of algebra, trigonometry, and other numeric systems, which have been fundamental to scientific and mathematical advancements.

Why is the Middle East often referred to as the 'cradle of civilization'?

The Middle East is called the 'cradle of civilization' due to its rich soils, particularly the Fertile Crescent, and because it was the birthplace of complex urban centers such as Mesopotamia, Sumer, and Babylonia.

Who was Caliph Al-Mansur and what is his significance?

Caliph Al-Mansur was the founder of the first capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad, which became the largest urban area in the 10th century. He is also known for his contributions to the House of Wisdom, an important scientific center during the Islamic Golden Age.

What was the purpose of the translation movement during the Islamic Golden Age?

The translation movement involved sending scholars worldwide to gather knowledge from various cultures and translate it into Arabic. This facilitated the exchange of scientific and philosophical ideas and enriched Arab scientists and thinkers.

What is the House of Wisdom and its role in Islamic history?

The House of Wisdom was an international center for translation and research during the Islamic Golden Age. It housed the largest library and translation institute, translating many important foreign works into Arabic and Persian, thus advancing knowledge in the Islamic world.

Who was Ibn Rashid, and how did he contribute to both Islamic and Christian worlds?

Ibn Rushd, known as Averroes in the West, was a 12th-century Muslim polymath who made significant contributions to both Islamic and Christian worlds. He was a passionate student of Aristotle's teachings and defended rationality, influencing Western thought through his commentaries on Aristotle.

What is the significance of the Motazella school in Islamic theology?

The Motazella school was an Islamic school of speculative theology that believed rationalism could be used to understand both the physical and spiritual worlds. They contributed to the development of the theory of natural law, which complemented Christian theology.

What did Al-Khwarizmi contribute to mathematics?

Al-Khwarizmi was a Muslim mathematician and astronomer who introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and the concept of algebra to the Islamic world. His major works include 'Kitab al-Jabr wa-l-Muqabala' (Algebra), which compiled rules for solving linear and quadratic equations, and 'Kitab al-Jamʿ wa-l-Tafrīq' (Compendium on Calculation), which introduced rational numbers and different numeric systems.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Intellectual Revolution and Arab Contributions

The first paragraph discusses the concept of the intellectual revolution, which refers to Greek philosophical speculation before Socrates. It highlights three key features: the belief in natural causes for events, the existence of natural laws, and the human ability to discover these laws. The paragraph emphasizes the significant contributions of Arab scientists to various fields such as mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine, and optics. It also mentions the invention of cuneiform, the first writing system, and the development of algebra, trigonometry, and navigation tools. The Middle East's rich history, including Mesopotamia, Sumer, and Babylon, is acknowledged as the cradle of civilization. The paragraph concludes with the mention of Islamic scholars and their influence on scientific advancements, including the establishment of the House of Wisdom by Caliphate Almanzor during the Islamic Golden Age.

05:02

📚 The House of Wisdom and Islamic Golden Age

The second paragraph delves into the role of the House of Wisdom as an international center for translation and research, which housed the largest library by 850 A.D. It facilitated the translation of significant foreign works into Arabic and Persian, thereby enriching Arab scientists and thinkers. The paragraph lists the languages encountered during the translation movement, including Greek, Chinese, Persian, and Sanskrit. It also discusses the contributions of various scholars like Ibn Rashid, who defended Aristotle's rationality, and the Mutazella school, which believed in using rationalism to understand both the physical and spiritual worlds. The paragraph mentions the establishment of infrastructure such as hospitals, public libraries, and madrasas (Islamic colleges) during the Islamic Golden Age. It concludes with a discussion of notable figures like Aban Mashar, Al-Razi, Al-Biruni, and Al-Khwarizmi, who made significant contributions to astronomy, medicine, and mathematics, including the introduction of Hindu-Arabic numerals and the development of algebra.

Keywords

💡Intellectual Revolution

The term 'Intellectual Revolution' refers to the period of Greek speculation about the nature of the world before Socrates, also known as Pre-Socratic or First Philosophy. It is characterized by naturalistic explanations of the world, the belief in natural order, and the idea that humans can discover the laws of nature. In the context of the video, this concept is foundational to understanding the development of scientific thought and its progression in ancient societies.

💡Natural Order

Natural Order refers to the concept that the world operates according to consistent, discoverable laws of nature, rather than being governed by supernatural forces. This idea is central to the intellectual revolution and the development of scientific inquiry. The video emphasizes the importance of natural order in the Arab contribution to science, where scientists sought to understand and describe the natural world through observation and reason.

💡Arabic Contribution

The 'Arabic Contribution' to science is highlighted in the video as monumentally significant. It refers to the strategic breakthroughs made by Arab scientists in fields such as mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, medicine, and optics. These contributions laid the foundation for modern scientific knowledge and are a testament to the rich cultural and intellectual history of the Middle East.

💡Cuneiform

Cuneiform is identified in the video as the first writing system, invented in ancient Mesopotamia. It represents a significant development in the history of communication and record-keeping, which facilitated the documentation of scientific and mathematical knowledge. This writing system is an example of the early technological advancements that contributed to the rich cultural heritage of the Middle East.

💡Astronomy

Astronomy is mentioned as a field that was greatly influenced by the intellectual revolution and the Arabic contribution. It involves the study of celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole. The video notes the development of astronomical tools and the establishment of Islamic significance in astronomy, such as fixing prayer times with mathematical precision.

💡Algebra

Algebra is a branch of mathematics that uses symbols and rules to solve equations. The video credits Al-Khwarizmi, a Muslim mathematician, with introducing the concept of algebra through his work 'Kitab al-Jabr wa-l-Muqabala', which compiled rules for solving linear and quadratic equations. This work is foundational to modern algebra and showcases the significant mathematical advancements made during the Islamic Golden Age.

💡Translation Movement

The 'Translation Movement' refers to the effort during the Islamic Golden Age to gather knowledge from various cultures and translate it into Arabic. This movement was instrumental in preserving and disseminating ancient knowledge, including Greek, Chinese, Persian, and Sanskrit texts. The video mentions that this movement contributed to the rich scientific and philosophical knowledge base of the time.

💡House of Wisdom

The 'House of Wisdom' was a significant scientific center during the Islamic Golden Age, as mentioned in the video. It served as an international center for translation and research, housing one of the largest libraries of the time. The House of Wisdom played a crucial role in the translation of important foreign works into Arabic and Persian, thereby enriching the scientific and philosophical discourse of the era.

💡Caliphate

The term 'Caliphate' refers to a historical Islamic state led by a caliph, who is considered a successor to the Prophet Muhammad. The video discusses Caliphate Almanzor, who founded Baghdad and contributed to the establishment of the House of Wisdom. The Abbasid Caliphate, under leaders like Almanzor and Al-Ma'mun, was a period of significant cultural and scientific flourishing in the Middle East.

💡Madrasa

A 'Madrasa' is an Islamic educational institution that offers advanced learning in religious studies, law, and other subjects. The video mentions Madrasas as part of the infrastructure built during the Islamic Golden Age, where students could study a wide range of subjects, including natural philosophy, logic, arithmetic, astronomy, and astrology. Madrasas played a key role in preserving and advancing knowledge during this period.

💡Golden Age of Islam

The 'Golden Age of Islam' refers to a period of cultural, economic, and scientific flourishing in the Islamic world. The video highlights this era as a time when significant advancements were made in various fields, including the establishment of stars that connected the earth, the night sky, and humankind. This period is characterized by the contributions of scholars like Ibn Rashid and the development of infrastructure such as hospitals and libraries.

Highlights

Intellectual revolution's definition and its relation to Greek speculation before Socrates.

The three characteristic features of intellectual speculation: naturalism, natural order, and human discovery.

The monumental significance of Arabic contributions to science.

Cuneiform as the first writing system invented in Mesopotamia.

Development of major legal codes by the first generous governments.

The flourishing of Arabic scientific inquiry leading to discoveries in various fields.

Invention of the astrolabe and development of algebra and trigonometry.

Middle East civilization's rich culture and tradition in science and technology.

The Middle East as the cradle of civilization with complex urban centers in Mesopotamia, Sumeria, and Babylonia.

The Islamicate scholars' influence on mathematical theorems and scientific terms.

The translation movement: gathering knowledge from various countries and translating it into Arabic.

The House of Wisdom as an international center for translation and research.

Caliphate Almanzor's contribution to the foundation of Baghdad and the House of Wisdom.

The translation of important foreign works into Arabic and Persian during the Islamic Golden Age.

Ibn Rashid's significant contributions to both Islamic and Christian worlds.

The Motazella school's belief in using rationalism to understand both physical and spiritual worlds.

The establishment of infrastructure like hospitals, public libraries, and madrasas during the Islamic Golden Age.

Ancient philosophers' attempts to propose heliocentrism.

Al-Razi's influential encyclopedia of medical knowledge and his impact on Western medicine.

Al-Biruni's work in astrology and the Islamic significance of astronomy.

Al-Khwarizmi's introduction of Hindu-Arabic numerals and the concept of algebra.

Transcripts

good day everyone our group is tasked to

discuss and present about the intel

equal revolution that defines society

specifically in the middle east

so before we tackle to the main topic

let me present to you the learning

outcomes in this chapter

first is the definition of intellectual

revolution

second identify their contribution to

the society

third one of the richest and the liquid

revolution and lastly middle east

civilization

so let us first talk about the

intellectual revolution

this topic has been discussed in the

previous lessons

but we will just have a recap about it

the term intellectual revolution is used

to refer to greek speculation about the

nature and the period before socrates

hence the alternative technical terms

are pre-socratic

or non-theological or the first

philosophy

the philosophy that's in talk in the

revolution is much more to do with what

we call

physic or logic

there are three characteristic features

of this form of speculation

first a word is natural

whole that is

supernatural forces to do not make

things happen

second there is in natural order

that is

their laws of nature

third

humans can discover those laws

the arabic contribution to science is

monumentally significant

arab scientists writing in arabic made

strategic breakthroughs which bring

mankind's comprehension of the natural

world

cuny form

cuneiform is the first writing system on

the world potter's whale that was

invented in demisopotamia

also the vehicular and the male whale

the first generous government and low

codes it's create the major changes to

the countries all over the world arabic

scientific inquiry flourish into major

discoveries in the fields

of mathematics physics astronomy

chemistry medicine and optics and

basically it is the foundation of

astronomy and mathematics

middle east civilization is also

invented as show loves which are widely

used in navigation and develop algebra

trigonometry and other numeric

system

their scholars practice

both the thinking and the

expensive of knowledge

thus the middle east civilization is

very much rich culture and tradition to

scientists and technology so basically

they have an innermost contribution to

science and technology

middle east is named for its rich soils

the fertile crescents and is often

called the cradle of civilization

so mesopotamia sumaria and babylonia

were the first place where complex urban

centers grew

additionally in the previous chapter in

the history it is being stated there

that the great contribution of the

sumerians and babylonians

those that makes the middle east rich

civilization

islamicate scholars are the people

influenced by the islamic civilization

regardless of their religious views the

scholar's birth as the mathematical

theorems such as algebra

azimuth

and

algeria themes additionally there are

several arabic words that have enriched

our scientific fixation additional terms

such as alchemy alcohol alembic alkali

elixir nader zenith and star names such

as betelgeuse aldiburan mazar and regel

their culture flowers during the time of

a basic caliphate wherein it is served

as crosswords trading zones for persia

india byzantine and other legions

who is caliphate almanzor

caliphate almanzor is the founder of the

first capital of abbasid the baghdad

baghdad became the

largest urban area in 930 a.d caliphate

almanzor also is a contributor of the

famous city house

bait al-hikmah just a little background

of the city house it was an important

scientific center during the islamic

golden age

already was the successor of almanzor he

carried on the tradition and supported

the translation movement

so translation movement is when they

send scholars all over the world and

they gather knowledge from romans

indians or to any other countries and

they will translate it to arabic

caliphate alma moon

here we found the house of wisdom as an

international center translator and

researcher which eventually the largest

library 850 a.d

as a library translation institute it is

translate many important foreign works

of science and philosophy into the

arabic and persian languages thereby

enrich arab scientists and thinkers here

are some of the languages they

encountered during the translation

movement

wherein they translate these languages

to arabic

first is the greek

second chinese

third person and lastly the sidewalk

after caliphate alma moon there is more

collaboration through other

civilizations again more collection of

knowledge

iban rashid is a 12th century muslim

polymath who made innermost contribution

to both islamic and christian worlds

he became a passionate student of

of teachings of aristotle and began to

defend aristotle

rationality in the face of islamic

conservatism

it is a translation and commentaries and

aristotle did seem to be called the

commentator

the motazella school principal believe

that rationalism could be used in order

to understand both physical world and

spiritual world

motazela's school is an islamic school

of speculative theology or the first

theologians of islam

they believe that rationalism can be

used to understand physical and

spiritual world the theory of natural

law that completed the christian

theology and this time

the build infrastructure is the house of

knowledge like observation hospital

public libraries and madrasas madrasa's

islamic college is a college which you

can use studying law with natural

philosophy logic arithmetic astronomy

and astrology not only faith culture and

religion

at the golden age of islam it is the

base of stars that concern with the link

that connected the earth and the night

sky and humankind this ancient

philosophers attempted to propose the

heliocentrism first is aban mashar

aban mushar studied the stars and their

divination power until they became an

atheist

next is al-razi

al-razi is an authority that influential

multi-volume encyclopedia of all known

medical knowledge at that time he had a

great influence in the western medicine

and considered as one of the greatest

scientists of middle east

next is al-biruni

al-biruni is an astrological fortune

telling the proper islamic significance

of astronomy was established through

fixing the direction and time of daily

prayers with mathematical precision

al-khwarizmi is a muslim mathematician

and astronomer whose major works

introduce hindu aramic numerals and the

concept of algebra he wrote kitab or

usually called algebra

algebra is a compilation of rules

together with a demonstration for

finding solutions of linear and

quadratic equation by completing the

square

compendiums book and calculation in

which it's a compilation

and balancing an original manual of

practical math

introduce rational original numbers and

different form of numeric system and

calculations

that's all for this video thank you