Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the decline of Islamic science

The golden age of Islamic science was a 300 year period between the 9th and 12th centuries centred around Baghdad. We use Arabic numbers, and 'algebra' is an Arabic word born from this time. But then something happened...

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Guest: (901 days ago)

lets give old Arabs the credit they deserve, they were one of a few civilizations that gave a big advance in science and we should respect that. Modern Arabs however are different story.

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Guest: (902 days ago)

We call them arabic numerals but the arabs got them from the indians. They are not an arabic invention.

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Guest: Guest (771 days ago)

Indian nummerals are different from arabic numerals. The most extremist case, arbic numerals is a well modified version of indians

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Guest: (264 days ago)

Latest comment: Complete lie, they re exactly the same and Hindu Numerals were invented in India.

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Guest: (902 days ago)

Same goes for most of the advances Tyson is attributing to Islamic culture. What the Arabs did was bring many different cultures into contact with their conquests and trading so a brief cross-fertilization occurred. Advances tend to come from a certian level of strife, not order. That's one of the reasons chaotic, bickering Europe advanced while the comparatively well ordered societies of the East stagnated.

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Guest: demoninatutu (897 days ago)

Why does the clip stop here? Tyson is about to make the very important point that religious fundamentalism is now attempting to stifle science in America.

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Guest: LondonBoy (902 days ago)

You can seek knowledge from any people of the World - they all have something to contribute. It is a shame that some gather it and claim it for themselves. The Arabs gathered from all the world and translated it into Arabic - that is why we had the crusades and now we gather it in English. It matters not in what language - but what you do with it. If you use it to suppress the rest of the World then that is NOT a good use and it will lead to self destruction, as it did for the Arabs.

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glortman (902 days ago)

LondonBoy, you are quite mistaken about the reason behind the crusades. Also, by last count, the Arab nations are not destroyed, and neither is Islam. I don't believe that globally sharing knowledge has been the pursuit of any state: most use it to strengthen their own economies.

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Guest: LondonBoy (902 days ago)

Maybe, glortman, to a point, you a right! The Pope who initiated the Crusades referred to the vile language of the Arabs and not necessarily to their knowledge. However, when the crusaders arrived in the Arab lands they dumped every book they could find - into the rivers "until the rivers flowed black with ink" This was an act to exterminate the knowledge that was gathered across the globe. The same is true now by the destruction of libraries, manuscripts, ancient artefacts and scholars by the west in Iraq. The Arabs are virtually destroyed and Islam is a swear word! Therefore the actions say it all - you can call it anything else.

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