Science in Islam: Aristotle's Philosophy of nature: ie The ultimate nature of reality 1. 2. 3. 4.

3. 4. Four elements, earth, air, fire and water Four qualities: hot/cold and wet/dry Matter he observed had qualities Qualities always present in pairs Most influential system through to middle ages Formal cause - Connected to the shape or form of object material cause - matter underlying that object efficient cause - Thing that brought out the change final cause - The idea of purpose and why something is created (most important cause for Aristotle)

The problem of change:

The Problem of Knowledge Through our senses and experiences we have access to these objects Aristotelian Cosmology Universe a great sphere Planets rest on nested glass-like spheres 2 main regions Celestial region Characterized by eternally unchanging cycles, circular motion, flawless region, perfect Terrestrial region Everything below the sphere of the moon Characterized by change by transience, birth, death, corruptible motion, linear motion Conquests and Empire Alexander the Great's conquests Previously: disunity in Greek world Natural philosophy isolated from state concerns After the conquests: natural philosophy more socially supported Greek civilization prior to the conquest was very separated Because people like Aristotle and Plato were unsupported by a centralized they were not committed to the pursuit of knowledge for practical purposes Aristotle and Plato and people like them were usually wealthy to have the time In the per-Alexander world natural philosophy was separated between city-states After Alexander philosophy became more state supported After his conquest the Greek philosophy was Hellenistic Greek knowledge was taken and spread through Greece

 His Empire only lasted 11 years but it was incredibly influential Rise of the Roman Empire By death of Julius Caesar, 44 BCE: Roman Empire dominant The point Military conquests > Spread of knowledge Divide emerges between Latin-speaking west Greek-speaking east The Birth of island and the Islamic Empire By 8th century CE, the Islamic empire is dominant Based on: Agriculture - one of the reasons the empire was able to flourish so well As the conquered empires they were able to adapt their crops to the territories the encountered Urbanization - Baghdad became the largest city in the world (population 1.8 million) Other cities during this period other cities around 100,000 people Science and Technology in Islam Revision of Euro-centric view 1. Translation of Greek and Syriac works into Arabic 2. Response to Greek science 3. Extensive contributions European renaissance because Islamic scholars transmitted the knowledge from Greece to Europe. Translated from Greek to Arabic to Latin Islamic Arabs established there empire by assimilating and maintaining cultures Islam became a very hybrid society that was state supported Greek natural philosophy was very important Islamic scholars made contributions to knowledge and integrated other knowledge Islamic scholars did it for the quest for spiritual perfection Islam did not blindly accept Greek philosophy Made extensive contributions. Mainly in medical philosophy and optics Natural philosophy was part of the state as well as religion Practical motivations and spiritual motivations Ibn Sina the Book of Healing The Book of Healing Interpreted Greek natural Philosophy in an Islamic setting Offers an Encyclopedic take on natural philosophy Purpose of attaining medical knowledge was spiritual thing Comprehensive Became one of the most printed books Valued others because it was comprehensive and organized The Canon of Medicine

 Galen of Pergamum Very influential in understanding the human body. Central thinker into middle ages Became training in medicine at 16 Did a lot of work with dissections especially on animals Became the foundation of medical thinking in both the Islamic and Christian world Importance of Place Schools would be attached to mosques Arabic at the height of the Islamic empire became the language of science House of Wisdom One of the big places of education Housed a large amount of texts Ensured the knowledge of Greek texts was brought to one place Mosques More than places of worship, centres of learning Madrasas Islamic legal colleges, also institutions where science was taught Hospitals Associated with mosques Historical Decline Funding most came from the state Eventually the money stopped going to science and started going more into military and agriculture Hist