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An Easter gift ...

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I hope you enjoy it ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es5fqw3wAxc

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Dear George,

You wrote: "Just an illustration of what I was trying to say about MODERN science: Taking mathematics, or mathematical physics, there are many non-European sounding names among contemporary prominent specialists and pioneers, most of them previous students at Western universities. I don’t think this was the case in, say, nineteenth century, which I think is related to the fact that there were practically no “non-Western” students in Western universities in those centuries."

The above is true. However, if we consider the European Dark Ages when Islam was flourishing in the arts and sciences there were no non-Christian students in the European universities. Christians, Jews, Buddhists and other non-Muslims were students in Islamic universities during that time. As Europe left the Dark Ages Islam entered their own Dark Ages where they still are. I guess I don't think of modern science as anything but a continuation of previous scientific investigations. The emphasis simply shifted to Europe. Ijtihad or the spirit of inquiry in Islam in the 14th century became confined to Islamic theology due to clerical pressures, and their universities were no longer places of learning in other areas.

Dear david f,

>>The emphasis simply shifted to Europe. Ijtihad or the spirit of inquiry in Islam in the 14th century became confined to Islamic theology due to clerical pressures, and their universities were no longer places of learning in other areas.<<

More or less this is what I meant - although Islam belongs to the West, when seen from the religions point of view - when I wrote:

“Those examples apparently did not lead the culture that gave rise to them to scientific and technological heights comparable to those reached by the equivalent achievements, even if at a later time, within the West.”

>>The emphasis simply shifted to Europe. Ijtihad or the spirit of inquiry in Islam in the 14th century became confined to Islamic theology due to clerical pressures, and their universities were no longer places of learning in other areas.<<

George wrote: More or less this is what I meant - although Islam belongs to the West, when seen from the religions point of view - when I wrote:

“Those examples apparently did not lead the culture that gave rise to them to scientific and technological heights comparable to those reached by the equivalent achievements, even if at a later time, within the West.”

Dear George:

Science continues to reach new heights because it builds on the insights of the past. Science at a later time by its nature ascends to new heights whereas the arts and humanities build on the past to a lesser extent or not at all. Arguably Shakespeare still remains our greatest playwright whereas the great Newton’s laws of motion have been superseded by relativity.

Islam has its roots in some of the same ground as Christianity. It seems that the adoption of Christianity as the official religion of Rome brought on the European Dark Ages, and the confinement of Ijtihad to theology brought on the Islamic Dark Ages. Chinese inventiveness was hobbled in another way. The mandarins were the highest class followed by the peasants, merchants and artisans. A peasant might by study move into the mandarin class, but merchants and artisans were barred from it. Artisans were the class which were responsible for technical innovations. The use of what they developed was decided by the mandarins. Thus printing although developed earlier in the East was confined to government regulations and Buddhist texts whereas western printing printed whatever the printers could find a market for. Scientific publications found a ready market.

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Dear David f and George,

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At the crossroads of religion and science, there is, of course, that religious science or scientific religion called astrology.

It has been suggested astrology might have preceded both religion and science, giving birth to each as a common ancestor.

It reigned supreme until Copernicus (1473-1543), Kepler (1571-1630), and Galileo (1564-1642) dethroned it in favour of science.

The cosmic vault has been a source of awe and veneration for mankind throughout history. Its mysteries continue to incite our curiosity and imagination.

We set out, on foot, from our origins in Africa about 100 000 years ago and explored the earth, occupying all seven continents, but the cosmic vault remained beyond our reach until Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969.

It's 44 years since that first step and we still have a few more paces to take if we want to explore the universe. In the meantime astrology continues to thrive throughout all countries and all cultures, irrespective of any other declared religious affinity we may have.

I have not found any global statistics on the number of people who take astrology seriously but I should not be surprised if it surpassed the world's leading religious population (Christianity) estimated at 2 billion.

Here are a couple of interesting documents I did find:

http://www.astrologer.com/pics/graphs/belief.jpg

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/Harris_Poll_2009_12_15.pdf

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2013 is the year of the snake. One point three five billion Chinese take this into account and adjust their decisions and behaviour accordingly.

In February 2011, the Bombay High Court reaffirmed astrology's standing in India when it dismissed a case which had challenged its status as a science. One point two seven billion Indians are diectly concerned by this decision.

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Dear Banjo,

I am awed by the universe, mathematics and nature, was born under the sign of Mickey the Mouse and believe in life after birth.