ipl-logo

Abbasid Empire Essay

863 Words4 Pages

A new Abbasid bureaucracy with a reception to foreign inspiration and external influence contributed to an incorporation of various traditions and aspects of knowledge, initiating a significant Muslim inclination to the world of mathematics. However a point to remember is that the Abbasid Empire was politically and religiously an Islamic Empire, always establishing the Quran  and the traditions of the prophet Muahmmed  as a number one priority; regarding any intellect or human reasoning as invalid if contradicted. Therefore reason based theological and epistemological thought faced many challenges, whereas mathematics was able to withstand and endure any external hindrances. Mathematics was excluded from these challenges due to the Islamic scholastic community realizing that this field of study produces a systematic procedure which are solidified with clear facts; known as mathematical proof.

IV.a | The Importance of Proof

The unique feature that sets mathematics apart from other sciences and intellectual discourses is the use of rigorous proof. It is the 'proof concept that makes the subject [mathematics] coheres, that gives it its timelessness, and that enables it to travel well' …show more content…

Even on some occasions the 'caliph himself' arranged 'debates on matters of religion or ethics' in which they would invite representatives of Muslim groups, Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and others, 'to present their different views and attempt to outdo one another in argument' (Thomas, D., 2008: p.249). This was the beginning of logical arguments and debated reasoning becoming an interest in the Islamic community, especially to the ninth century caliph al-Ma'mun who encouraged these debates; hoping for the Islamic mission to grow spiritually through discourse and

More about Abbasid Empire Essay

Open Document