
The House of Wisdom
How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance
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Narrated by:
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Simon Vance
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By:
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Jim Al-Khalili
About this listen
The Arabic legacy of science and philosophy has long been hidden from the West. British-Iraqi physicist Jim Al-Khalili unveils that legacy to fascinating effect by returning to its roots in the hubs of Arab innovation that would advance science and jump-start the European Renaissance.
Many of the innovations that we think of as hallmarks of Western science were actually the result of Arab ingenuity: Astronomers laid the foundations for the heliocentric model of the solar system long before Copernicus; physicians accurately described blood circulation and the inner workings of the eye ages before Europeans solved those mysteries; physicists made discoveries that laid the foundation for Newton's theories of optics. But the most significant legacy of Middle Eastern science was its evidence-based approach - the lack of which kept Europeans in the dark throughout the Dark Ages.
With transporting detail, Al-Khalili places the listener in the intellectual and cultural hothouses of the Arab Enlightenment and tackles two tantalizing questions: Why did the Arab world enter its own Dark Age after such a dazzling enlightenment? And how much did Arabic learning contribute to making the Western world as we know it? Given his singular combination of expertise in both the Western and Middle Eastern scientific traditions, Al-Khalili is uniquely qualified to solve those riddles.
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Great teaching resource
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Well done Jim !
A mostly needed cold shower
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Extraordinary tale of scientific achievement in medieval islam
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on the shoulders of giants
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Fascinating
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Very well arranged. Informative and credible. Such works are needed to help broaden the worldview of western and eastern students.
The narrator was very “British” right down to the sarcastic mispronunciations of Arabic words.
Other than that, it was an enjoyable and revealing listen.
Should be required reading
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Easy to absorb...
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Very Informative
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Very interesting book, well-narrated for sure
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