Until the advent of materialism and 19th c. dogma, Western Civilisation was superior to anything Islam had developed. Islam has not aided in the development of the modern world; in fact civilisation has only been created in spite of Islam. Proof of this resides in the 'modern' world and the unending political-economic and spiritual poverty of Muslim states and regions. Squatting on richer civilisations is not 'progress'. Islam is pagan, totalitarian, and irrational.
In 'God's Philosophers', James Hannam lists by my count, about 111 Catholic Medieval scientists who during the 'Middle Ages', prepared the way for modern science and technology. The most ardent Moslemophile screeching that Islam created the modern world, might be able to name 5 Moslems during the same period [including the usual tired, disreputable names of Averroes etc. yawn, boring]; who impacted the European scientific mind. For the big-brains, a handful of Moslems who might have slightly amended or added to Greek thought; is certainly more important to modernity, than the dozens of European Christians who actually invented it. That is why they are so clever – whatever reality proves, believe the opposite. 50 men from Hannam's list are below.
|
|
Name |
Era |
Claim to Fame |
|
1 |
Abelard, Peter |
1079-1142 |
Logician, mathematician |
|
2 |
Adelard of Bath |
1080-1160 |
Translated Arabic texts on Mathematics |
|
3 |
Albert, the Great |
1200-1280 |
Natural philosopher and scientist who taught Aquinas. |
|
4 |
Alcuin of York |
735-804 |
Polymath and Minister of education under Charlemagne |
|
5 |
Alderotti, Taddeo |
1223-1295 |
Pioneer of learned medicine in Bologna. |
|
6 |
St. Anselm, Canterbury |
1033-1109 |
Combined faith with reason in his ontological works that God exists. |
|
7 |
Aquinas, St. Thomas |
1225-74 |
Combined Greek philosophy with Catholic doctrine. |
|
8 |
Bacon, Roger |
1214-92 |
Expert on lights and optics and wrote many volumes on reforming natural philosophy. |
|
9 |
Boethius |
480-525 |
Christian Roman philosopher who wrote textbooks on science and philosophy. |
|
10 |
Bradwardine, Thomas |
1290-1349 |
Merton College Oxford mathematician. |
|
11 |
Brahe, Tycho |
1546-1601 |
Danish Catholic astronomer renowned for accuracy and mathematical proof. |
|
12 |
Brunelleschi, Filippo |
1377-1446 |
Architect and artist who designed the dome of Florence's cathedral and developed mathematical means of perspective-use in painting. |
|
13 |
Buridan, John |
1300-1358 |
University of Paris philosopher who developed impetus theory and how the earth rotated. |
|
14 |
Cardan, Jerome |
1501-1576 |
Doctor, mathematician, astrologist and inventor. |
|
15 |
Chaucer, Geoffrey |
1343-1400 |
Wrote scientific treatise on the astrolabe. |
|
16 |
Copernicus, Nicholas |
1473-1543 |
Polish canon who developed using higher math, heliocentricity. |
|
17 |
D'Ailly, Pierre |
1350-1420 |
Cardinal in Paris, wrote works on geography and calculated using new math techniques the earth's circumference. Inspired Columbus. |
|
18 |
Domingo de Soto |
1494-1560 |
Dominican friar who textbooks on Physics were the first accurate statement of the law of free-fall. |
|
19 |
Duns Scotus |
1263-1308 |
Carried forward the faith through reason theology of Aquinas. |
|
20 |
Fallopio, Gabriele |
1523-62 |
Anatomist and the first one to identify the fallopian tubes. |
|
21 |
Frederick II |
1194-1250 |
Wrote a treatise on bird flight and patronized science. |
|
22 |
Galileo |
1564-1642 |
Synthesized and discovered many aspects of motion, gravity and natural physical laws. |
|
23 |
Gerbert, or Pope Sylvester II |
940-1003 |
Pope and scholar who introduced Hindu/Arabic numerals into Europe. |
|
24 |
Grassi, Horatio |
1583-1654 |
Jesuit scholar who argued with Galileo over comets. |
|
25 |
Grosseteste, Robert |
1170-1253 |
Bishop of Lincoln who wrote on optics and natural philosophy. |
|
26 |
Harvey, William |
1578-1657 |
Discovered the function of the heart and circulation of the blood. |
|
27 |
Heytesbury, William |
1313-73 |
Merton College Oxford mathematician who was the first to propose the mean speed theory. |
|
28 |
John XXI |
1215-77 |
Pope who wrote textbooks on logic and medicine. |
|
29 |
Jordanus de Nemore |
1225-1260 |
Mathematician who studied the science of statistics and solved the inclined plane problem. |
|
30 |
Kepler, Johannes |
1571-1630 |
Astronomer who used higher math to identify the real shape of the solar system. |
|
31 |
Kilwardy, Robert |
d. 1279 |
Archbishop of Canterbury who categorized and organized the sciences. |
|
32 |
Mondino dei Luzzi |
d.1326 |
Pioneer of human dissection. |
|
33 |
Nicholas of Autrecourt |
1300-69 |
Theologican who advanced ideas of atoms and atomicity. |
|
34 |
Nicholas of Cusa |
1400-1464 |
Theologian who used math to speculate on an expanding universe and life on other planets. |
|
35 |
Oresme, Nicholas |
1325-82 |
Student of Buridan who used graphs to resolve and model physical problems. |
|
36 |
Paracelscus |
1493-1541 |
Doctor who reformed medicine along occult and alchemical lines. |
|
37 |
Partizi, Francisco |
1529-1597 |
Platonic philosopher who believed in the earth's rotation and in vacuums. |
|
38 |
Peckham, John |
d.1292 |
Archbishop of Canterbury who wrote on optics. |
|
39 |
Peter the Pilgrim |
1269 |
Created the study of magnets and magnetism. |
|
40 |
Philoponus, John |
490-570 |
Christian neo-platonist who thoroughly discredited much of Aristotelian theology. |
|
41 |
Ragimold and Radolf |
11c. |
Friends who wrote works and letters on advanced geometry. |
|
42 |
Richard of Wallingford |
1292-1336 |
Abbot of St. Albans monastery, invented new astronomical instruments and clocks. |
|
43 |
Sacrobosco, John |
d.1256 |
Wrote popular university-level books on math and astronomy. |
|
44 |
Servetus |
1511-53 |
Discovered the purpose of the pulmonary artery, burnt at the stake in Geneva by Calvin. |
|
45 |
Stevin, Simon |
1548-1620 |
Conducted experiments proving that heavy and light objects fall at the same speed. |
|
46 |
Swineshead, Richard |
1340-55 |
Merton College mathematician who developed higher mathematical concepts and theorems. |
|
47 |
Tartaglia |
1499-1577 |
Mathematician who solved cubic equations and published the works of Archimedes. |
|
48 |
Vesalius |
1514-1564 |
Anatomist who disproved much of Galen's work. |
|
49 |
Ockham, William |
1287-1347 |
Franciscan who developed various rules around logic and probability. |
|
50 |
Witelo |
1250-75 |
Wrote largest treatise of his time on optics and inspired Kepler. |
Phd thesis: Make a similar list of Moslem geniuses and innovators....
Given the names above the 'middle ages' must surely have a been a terribly dark and horrendous time of stunted intellects and knuckle-dragging sack clothe wearing morons....unlike today of course with the cults of reality-tv, globaloneywarming, gay, Islam-is-Peace and the state. The poorly named Enlightenment was of course built on the advances from the Middle Ages, Voltaire, his insanity and his ego notwithstanding. And the above list of names is only a very partial compendium of what could be identified.
Buried in European vaults and libraries are literally tonnes of Latin documents from the Middle Ages – but who reads Latin anymore ? Early vulgate language treatises also reside in their collective dust, unused, unread, unknown and in vast quantity. But why bother to read those ? Who needs to do real work these days ? Surely we only need to listen to uninformed bigots like Gibbon or Diderot, who never investigated, understood, nor had any intimate knowledge of the 'middle ages'. Much easier to let others do the thinking for us, especially if they only confirm our prejudices and ignorance.