Hmmm. The link works for me. Here's the IP address: http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/07/24/unesco-now-rewrites-history-its-own-way-great-jews-are-suddenly-great-muslims/
After the recovery of Toledo from the Moors by the Crusaders in 1085, European scholars flocked there to translate the ancient classical texts from the Greek (which Europe had forgotten) to Arabic and Hebrew and Latin, making it the first part of the European Middle Ages (1100-1543), the names of some European scholars appeared in scientific literature next to a large number of Muslim scholars, including Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Maimouna Ibn Moussa (Maimonides), Tousi and Ibn Nafis.
It could just as easily have been a simple error. Considering the much longer essay from 1986 detailing Maimonides' life as a Jewish thinker, and the more recent document where his name is listed among several others, an error seems to be the most plausible explanation.
Hanlon's razor is tragically absent from today's discourse.
The claim is that they've listed him as a Muslim under the name Musa Bin Memoun. I assume it was just sloppy of them. Here's a link to the UNESCO report, with Musa Bin Memoun appearing in a short list of "Muslim scientists" on the bottom of the second page: http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/SC/pdf/sc_usr05_arab_en.pdf
I haven't read the whole thing, but it looks like it's repeating the whole Dark Ages canard.
The Latin word Quodlibeta means "whatever you like" and refers to the special occasions at medieval universities when the students (or clerks as they were known) could test their masters by asking any question they fancied. This blog is primarily concerned with religion, science, history and their interface. But like the medieval clerks, we reserve the right to post on anything we want.
I am a historian of science specialising in the relationship between science and Christianity in the Medieval and Early Modern eras. I took my Masters (2003) from Birkbeck College, University of London and have a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science from Pembroke College, University of Cambridge (2008). My book God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Sciencewill be published by Icon. My apologetics website is Bede's Library.
Humphrey Clarke
I am a historian of a very middling and amateurish sort. Having taken a Masters in Modern History at the University of St Andrews (2004), I completed a law conversion course at Nottingham Law School and embarked upon what has been an exciting career in legal technology. My chief interests are in Twentieth Century History, Colonial America, Historiography and, most recently, the History of Science. I also write a satirical blog at The Diary of Humphrey Clarke. I hope my contributions to Quodlibeta capture something of the pleasure I get from trawling my dusty collection of second hand history books.
Jim S
I'm currently a graduate student in Philosophy, having already obtained graduate degrees in Philosophy and Theology. My interests primarily lay in epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion and the history of philosophy. My studies have taken me to Belgium, where I currently reside. I also write a blog at Agent Intellect. In my mid-20s I decided to refute Christianity to set my conscience at ease. Two subjects that I turned to in order to accomplish this were philosophy and science. They backfired on me. Several months later, I very reluctantly accepted Christ.
4 comments:
the link didn't work, but I did searching and couldn't find a UNESCO link on the ynetnews site, but I did find this UNESCO document:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0007/000704/070484eo.pdf
that describes Maimonides was a Jewish thinker, though his family had to pretend they converted to Islam.
Hmmm. The link works for me. Here's the IP address: http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/07/24/unesco-now-rewrites-history-its-own-way-great-jews-are-suddenly-great-muslims/
It's getting the pajamas media logo, but nothing else.
But either way I dug a little deeper and found that the document I linked to was from 1986.
Also, the UNESCO document in question that lists Maimonides as a Muslim thinker was in one paragraph in a French paper:
http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/SC/pdf/sc_usr05_arab_fr.pdf
The paragraph in question is translated here:
After the recovery of Toledo from the Moors by the Crusaders in 1085, European scholars flocked there to translate the ancient classical texts from the Greek (which Europe had forgotten) to Arabic and Hebrew and Latin, making it the first part of the European Middle Ages (1100-1543), the names of some European scholars appeared in scientific literature next to a large number of Muslim scholars, including Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Maimouna Ibn Moussa (Maimonides), Tousi and Ibn Nafis.
It could just as easily have been a simple error. Considering the much longer essay from 1986 detailing Maimonides' life as a Jewish thinker, and the more recent document where his name is listed among several others, an error seems to be the most plausible explanation.
Hanlon's razor is tragically absent from today's discourse.
The claim is that they've listed him as a Muslim under the name Musa
Bin Memoun. I assume it was just sloppy of them. Here's a link to the UNESCO report, with Musa Bin Memoun appearing in a short list of "Muslim scientists" on the bottom of the second page:
http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/SC/pdf/sc_usr05_arab_en.pdf
I haven't read the whole thing, but it looks like it's repeating the whole Dark Ages canard.
Post a Comment