Islam's golden age
In our post-cold war times, where Muslims are the new villains and scapegoats, and the Islamic world the new favorite shadow projection object, it may be good to remember what we owe Islamic culture.
The most obvious example is the role of the Islamic world in the birth of modern Western culture: the Renaissance, which would not have been what it was (or may not have been at all) if it wasn't for the Islamic Golden Age, and their preservation, enriching and transmission of elements from a wide range of ancient cultures, including the Greek and Roman.
Labels: europe, islam, projections, shadow
3/09/2007 08:40:00 PM
At the risk of sounding glib, coffee, at least after slow start. The Islamic Golden Age brought coffee - both drink and word - into Europe. top
3/16/2007 11:38:00 AM
Yes, and lots of other things... ideas, science, medicine, words.
The more I learn about it, the more it seems that the European renaissance would not have happened if it wasn't for the Arabs.
There are some references to the Arabic influence in regular history books, but they also often make it sound as if the European renaissance happened out of the blue, which it didn't. It was directly fueled by the Arabs, and maybe especially those at the large learning centers in Spain.
So, it really seems that we can say that modern European culture is directly built upon, and a child of, the Islamic Golden Age. top