The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance

Lot's of knowledge about the great Arabic science..

“The House of Wisdom - How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave is the Renaissance”, Jim Al-Khalili. 2010, Penquin Books, ISBN: 978-0-14-312056-8, paperback25th September 2025 - I have been a “student”: of, reader and follower of Jim Alkhalili for many years, heard many lectures (next on particle physics in a couple of weeks); he has the great gift of being able to take complex issues, pare them down their essentials in order to explain them to a wider audience - scientists and non-scientist.This book is different. It is history, science, philosophy and, in some places, autobiographical. Born in Iraq, he left at the end of his teenage years in 1979, a turbulent period for the country. He has not been back since but this book takes readers back to the Bar al-Shari district of Baghdad, 762 CE when he begins to show the depths of Arabic civilisation and Arabic science. He explains “Arabic science” to mean science written in Arabic, the language of the area but spoken and written by people of the time. It was the Arabic language which united the work he considers, the work of Persians, Jews, Christians and Arabs.“Many of the great scientists of the golden age were, not Arabs but Persians, even though they wrote all their work in Arabic, the official language of the empire.” (P 49) At this point, he takes readers on a fascinating, personal journey, his family origins and the complexity of understanding the country.In detailed, well-written research, he examines discoveries and discovers, illustrates the depths, range and complexities of Arabic science through the ages in a convincing way which many readers will find illuminating. Chapter Twelve, “The Prince and Pauper” is a fascinating examination of some very complex geometry and the uses to which it was put, together which some more philosophical questions:1. What was the justification for insisting that the heavenly bodies had neither levity nor gravity and that their orbits were perfectly circular around the earth? In other words, why do they no fall towards the earth or float away from it.3. Do the sun’s rays have material substances? If, not, how do they transmit warmth to us?” (P 174)The chapter on Andalusia and the growth of Cordoba will fascinate readers who have been to modern Andalusia. Plate ten shows an easily illustration of surgical instruments (similar to those I saw in Karnak, Egypt). One of these instruments is the syringe: “When there occurs an ulcer in the bladder or there is a clot of blood or a deposit of puss on it, you may wish to insert into it lotions and medication; this is done with the help of an instrument called a syringe. It is made of silver or ivory, hollow, with a long fine tube, fine as a probe … The hollow part containing the plunger is exactly the size to be closed by it, so that any liquid is drawn up with it you pull it up; and when you press it down, it is driven in a jet.” (P 199)In the final chapters ”Declines amd Renaissance” and “Science and Islam Today”, he explores some of the complexities of change as Arabic science meets the “modern” world. There is the fascinating insight into the meeting of calligraphy and the burgeoning printing press, two cultures, one ancient, established, retaining old skills, the other, young, breaking new ground, establishing new skills. Calligraphy had been an art form as well as a means of writing limited editions but the printing press had abandoned the art form in favour of standardised, mass production.Al-Khalili (or, as he points out in chapter four, adding the definite article “Al” makes it “the Kalhilis”) have a long history in Iraq. The Professor does not dwell too long on this but in this text his roots are clear, a scientist and a man. The chapters - Translation, Alchemist, Big Science, Numbers, Algebra, The Philosopher, Medic, Physicist and others - examine the rich and, for many, unknown history of Arabic science and show how modern science emerged and benefitted from it in so may different ways.Recommended.

Livro muito bom e chegou em perfeito estafo e antes do prazo.

This book fills a big gap in most people's understanding of the history of science and should be widely read. Our Western education is centred on the amazing advances in experimental and theoretical understanding of science carried out in the Western world, even prioritising the names of the scientists from the nations whose language is being used. The laws of physics have different names in English and French, for example. Having consumed this education, I was amazed at how many centuries had elapsed between Persian science and the discoveries in Europe, not just a few.In these times of cultural conflicts, it would be wiser to better understand the cultures on both sides. After learning so much, I can only recommend this book to scientists and non-scientists the latter of whom will not be baffled.The scientists who discover the value of pi base 60 will not be unmoved.

Besides including biographies of early Arabic scientists, British-Iraqi physicist and author Jim al-Khalili shows how individual Arabic geniuses and polymaths eagerly sought Ancient Greek texts on science, encouraged by the leaders of Middle-Eastern empires to do so. Libraries and universities were built, experimentation was funded, brilliant students were encouraged, and ideas were freely discussed. While Europe was in the dark ages, culture, technological advancement and education flourished in the Middle East. However, it all stopped in the fifteenth century. Islam no longer could tolerate the ideas of science which clearly were contradicting the religious ideas in the Qur'an. Luckily, through the Arabic conquest of Spain in the twelfth century, Europe finally got their hands on translated Ancient Greek and Arabic books written by brilliant Near East and Indian scientists, astronomers and mathematicians shortly before Islamist religious fundamentalists began to destroy and burn their superb educated legacy of centuries.Without question, the Western World would not exist as it does without the discoveries of these brilliant Arabic men who were nurtured by literate Middle-Eastern empires and early Greek science. Then religious Islamic fundamentalism shut down any education, philosophies and scientific studies which conflict with the Qur'an. The continuing disputes of hardliner fundamentalists and Islamic dictators over which religious Islamic sects and tribes should be allowed to live or die because they each consider their Islamic neighbors' differing local flavors of understanding the Qur'an as heresy punishable with death continues to occupy hardline theocratic Islamic and Arabic countries to this day.Sad.'The House of Wisdom' is a history of Arabic science and so it has sections about math since Arabic, Persian and Indian scientists and mathematicians invented entire new maths. There are huge academic sections in the back of the book: notes, a glossary of hundreds of famous Arabic scientists, and an index.Before maintaining stories in the Qur'an became more important than encouraging brilliant educated scientists, it is clear thousands of Near East scientists studied astronomy, medicine, chemistry, biology, the natural sciences, and architecture, which created a formerly vibrant society in the Middle-East. The world owes these Arabic and Persian men much.

After reading James Hannam's new book on the rise of science in Europe during the Middle Ages, The Genesis of Science, I could hardly resist reading Jim al-Khalili's book on Arabic science during the same period, The House of Wisdom. In it, he makes the case that various scholars under Islamic rule did more than just preserve the wisdom of the ancients, but advanced it to the point that when Western Europe recovered this knowledge, it sparked the Renaissance. Much like Hannam, al-Khalili is partially successful.In many ways, al-Khalili had a better opportunity to impress me, as I have much less knowledge about Islamic science than I do about the history of Western science. And there is much here to impress. Al-Khalili clearly has an extensive knowledge of his subject and does a fairly good job getting it all out, considering how difficult it was for me to follow the barrage of unfamiliar names. Most interesting is his discussion of various discoveries like al-Khwarizmi's development of algebra, Ibn Sahl's discover of "Snell's" law of refraction, or al-Razi's work in medicine, to name but a very few.The problem is that al-Khalili tends to overstate his case and make illogical comparisons. He has a tendency to compare the work of Islamic scholars to more modern scientists (particularly Newton), and claim that their work is easily as original and important. I would rather drawn this type of conclusion myself based on what I learn of the actual work done and, frankly, I don't think the comparisons usually stand up.He also uses personal anecdotes throughout the text, particularly from his youth in Iraq that I felt took away from what he was trying to accomplish. Granted, he's trying to write for an audience that is less familiar with his culture as well as speak to the Muslim world to encourage a return to scientific achievement, but these digressions are distractions from the strength of his book--the history.Still, I'm very glad I read this book. I learned a tremendous amount and I gained a lot of respect for what Islamic scholars achieved during the Dark Ages of Western Europe. I'm even more glad I read this in conjunction with Hannam's book. Covering the same time period and quite often the same people, they gave completely different perspectives on what lead to the scientific revolution. It is fascinating stuff.