Science In Islamic Countries

biohack sends us to Physics Today for a thought-provoking article on the status of and prospects for science in Islamic countries. The author, a Pakistani physicist, posits that 'Internal causes led to the decline of Islam's scientific greatness long before the era of mercantile imperialism. To contribute once again, Muslims must be introspective and ask what went wrong.' The author makes a few strong conclusions, many of which are relevant to the general debate between science and religion. From the article: "Science finds every soil barren in which miracles are taken literally and seriously and revelation is considered to provide authentic knowledge of the physical world. If the scientific method is trashed, no amount of resources or loud declarations of intent to develop science can compensate. In those circumstances, scientific research becomes, at best, a kind of cataloging or 'butterfly-collecting' activity. It cannot be a creative process of genuine inquiry in which bold hypotheses are made and checked."

Comments

Now replace "mullah" with "evangelical Christian"

[melted]

Now replace "mullah" with "evangelical Christian", and it all applies on our neck of the woods as well. People somehow forget that this country was founded by religious nutcases.

Have they issued a Fatwa?

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

Have they already announced a Fatwa against this science dude? It is just a matter of time you know...