James Hannam

Did Al Farabi really invent sociology?

There is a subtle campaign on Wikipedia to overstate the contribution of Islamic sages to scientific scholarship. <br /> James Hannam says that the facts should be sacred

issue 31 October 2009

There is a subtle campaign on Wikipedia to overstate the contribution of Islamic sages to scientific scholarship.
James Hannam says that the facts should be sacred

As an author who craves all the publicity he can get for his work, I’m usually cock-a-hoop to receive invitations to pontificate on film. Even the lowliest producer can expect to have me eating out of her hand. But last week, when I received an email from a filmmaker who wanted to interview me for a programme about ‘the scientific evidence in the religious text of the Koran’, I thought I’d give it a miss.

The sort of apologetics which attempt to prove the inspiration of the scriptures by showing that they contain secret knowledge has been practiced by conservative Christians for a very long time. Back in the 17th century, English divines tried to develop a biblical science to compete with the new philosophy of Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton.

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