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The Great Bait Al-Hikmah: Kontribusi Islam dalam Peradaban Barat
by
Islam dianggap memusuhi inovasi. Begitulah stereotip pandangan Barat terhadap Islam. Pandangan ini muncul beberapa abad lalu, seiring propaganda anti-Muslim yang disebarkan di bawah panji Perang Salib, yang kemudian menguat di era Renaisans. Tujuannya, sengaja untuk meminggirkan peran ilmuwan Muslim.
Padahal, sejarah mencatat, mustahil peradaban Barat lahir tanpa kontribusi ...more
Padahal, sejarah mencatat, mustahil peradaban Barat lahir tanpa kontribusi ...more
Paperback, 380 pages
Published
July 2013
by Noura Books
(first published December 23rd 2008)
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Start your review of The Great Bait Al-Hikmah: Kontribusi Islam dalam Peradaban Barat
Jan 10, 2012
Michael Snuffin
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Shelves:
history
Excellent book. The subtitle should read "How Arabs saved Western Civilization from the ignorance of the Roman Catholic Church." I found it an even more interesting read in light of the current rise of Islamophobia in the Unites States. A little dense in places, but otherwise easy to digest.
This book loses a star by cause of the fact that it could have benefited from better supporting material. The timeline at the front of the book seemed incomplete, while the list of notable persons needed date ...more
This book loses a star by cause of the fact that it could have benefited from better supporting material. The timeline at the front of the book seemed incomplete, while the list of notable persons needed date ...more
Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
The House of Wisdom presents the interesting case that Arab culture essentially birthed Western civilization as we know it. There is, however, a problem; this book is without doubt one of the most biased histories I have ever read. One is almost left with the impression that the author decided to write the book to support his thesis and "researched" accordingly. Most of the examples of Arabic advances are very generalized, especially in the scientific arena. When detailed e ...more
The House of Wisdom presents the interesting case that Arab culture essentially birthed Western civilization as we know it. There is, however, a problem; this book is without doubt one of the most biased histories I have ever read. One is almost left with the impression that the author decided to write the book to support his thesis and "researched" accordingly. Most of the examples of Arabic advances are very generalized, especially in the scientific arena. When detailed e ...more
In this fascinating book, Jonathan Lyons uncovers a mostly-unknown period of our history. During the Dark Ages and early medieval period, western Europe sunk into a deep pit of ignorance and intellectual stagnation. The scientific and philosophical achievements of the ancient world were forgtten. Europeans could not even tell the time or know for certain when Easter would fall.
Europe was wrenched out of its ignorance, Lyons argues, by contact with the intellectually vibrant Islamic world, start ...more
Europe was wrenched out of its ignorance, Lyons argues, by contact with the intellectually vibrant Islamic world, start ...more
Jun 30, 2012
Jonathan Lyons
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
foucault-and-friends,
books-i-wrote
I wrote this book -- so perhaps I am slightly biased in its favor -- to show the depth and breadth of the Muslim contribution to our idea of Western civilization. It was well-reviewed and nine foreign language editions are completed or in process, including Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Chinese, Dutch, and Arabic.
I read/listened to this book at roughly the same time as God Is Not Great. In the latter, Christopher Hitchens ruminates about the disparaging influences of all religions including Islam. The House of Wisdom does not posit to argue to the contrary as some reviewers would have us believe. The book is about, and perhaps sometimes incompletely, the influence of Arab and Muslim (not always the same people) thought, discovery and invention on the West prior to the Renaissance. Such influences include
...more
I read this book as part of an 8th-15th century class that focused on Western Interactions with the Islamic world. I had my suspicions about the qualifications of the Professor when he gave down rather inaccurate summary of the 'secret to Alexander the Great' and lauded Alexander as being 'humble' and knowing when his 'Empire was too big to continue'.
Imagine my surprise, then, when we were required to read Jonathan Lyons brutally biased history of Arabic contributions to the West.
Lyons acts as t ...more
Imagine my surprise, then, when we were required to read Jonathan Lyons brutally biased history of Arabic contributions to the West.
Lyons acts as t ...more
Let me start this review by saying that this is not the kind of book I usually read or would even pick up. I read it for a book club, so that may color my perception of the book a bit.
I did enjoy the book's introduction to the Arabs' contributions to science and mathematics during the same time period of Europe's dark ages. It was something I had never really encountered in books or my education before and I liked learning about it. The religious issues with the study of science were also inter ...more
I did enjoy the book's introduction to the Arabs' contributions to science and mathematics during the same time period of Europe's dark ages. It was something I had never really encountered in books or my education before and I liked learning about it. The religious issues with the study of science were also inter ...more
This was an excellent book, well-written and precise, yet still accessible. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the history of science.
I don’t leave a lot of bad reviews here, but this book was really problematic. Like many reviewers have said here already, it is terribly biased. In fact, by chapter two, I was wondering if he was a religious convert since he was almost coming across irrationally; painting history in terms of good guys and bad guys across a thousand years of history! Later, I wondered if he wasn't just engaging in some of the worst habits we sometimes see in journalists. What I mean is, rather than just tell the
...more
Poor. Lyons treatment of the Arabic and Islamic contribution to the development of science is adequate but he is woefully inaccurate about 'Dark Age' Europe.
...more
I'm going to review the desert out of this book!!! *puffed disgruntled face*
...more
A complex but eye opening revelation of the truths of the past vastly unknown to modern man. The book phases & demonstrates how the great knowledge accumulation of the Arabs not only revolutionized the East but also the West & the erest of the world.
Muslim science and philosophy have always been anchored to worship & glorifying of The One God. The motivations are always to make the world a better place to live for all people alike and to uncover secrets of the universe as encouraged in the reli ...more
Muslim science and philosophy have always been anchored to worship & glorifying of The One God. The motivations are always to make the world a better place to live for all people alike and to uncover secrets of the universe as encouraged in the reli ...more
First of all, the title is misleading. This book is not about Baghdad's House of Wisdom that witnessed the famous translation movement, but rather about a myriad of topics that takes place in the west.
The book was a good read, but not coherent and did not focus on the topic at hand.
It also persistently felt like a commission for some reason. ...more
The book was a good read, but not coherent and did not focus on the topic at hand.
It also persistently felt like a commission for some reason. ...more
I had to give up on this book.. I'm sorry 😭. The first 50-ish pages were alright. But afterwards, it started to get boring. I struggled so hard to carry on. I only managed to get as far as page 90.
...more
I had inklings of a lot of what this book covered, but it's a good overview of the ways in which the West absorbed scientific and philosophical thinking from the great Arab thinkers of the middle ages. Lyons makes the excellent point that while some still think of the Arabs as merely recorders, maintainers and passers-on of earlier Greek thought, in actuality Muslim scientists and philosophers made great advances in science and philosophy while Europe struggled through it's dark ages. When the W
...more
Excellent. The story of the plethora of Arab scientists at the house of wisdom in Baghdad during the Middle Ages, and how it evolved under Abbasid rule. This book tells the story of the enlightened Arab world, who not only translated the great works of the Greeks such as Aristotle, Ptolemy and Euclid, but built on this knowledge in the fields of astronomy, medicine, pharmacology, mathematics and optics to mention a few. How they incorporated great Hindu knowledge, and inherited paper making tech
...more
Riveting. I love the way the author takes this subject and transforms it into an engaging story of how the past interactions between Muslims and Christians is just as important, if not more so now, than when it began. Lyons shows the continuation of the past with the conflicts and problems of today. This is the first book that truly puts Western thoughts and misconceptions about the Muslim East into perspective and states why we are still having conflicts between the Christians and Muslims. The
...more
Oct 15, 2011
Joel Trono-Doerksen
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-need,
general-islamic
I quite enjoyed this book actually. Although sometimes it can get a little heavy with the science terms, it opened my eyes more to the contributions the Muslim world has made to Western civilization. The author also mentions that Islam and its practices like finding the direction of Mecca actually contributed to their pursuit of math and algebra. I always knew that the Muslims had made great strides in science but this book made it much more clear. I especially liked the section on Islamic philo
...more
Jun 01, 2012
Karen
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobook,
non-fiction,
science,
2013,
islam,
listened-to,
catholic-church,
history,
medieval,
2-stars
Not so much read as listened to, it's not bad but it never really held my attention. The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance by Jim Al-Khalili is a much better book.
...more
Having read similar books about the contributions of Arab/Islamic civilization, I have to say that this is a worthy addition not only for the passion of the writer but through his attempts to actually chart the touch points in history where the transfer of knowledge and wisdom occurred whether through England, Spain or Italy. This contrasts with other more general accounts that have elaborated the contributions without actively addressing the mechanics for this transfer of knowledge.
Very in-depth research went into the book. Made it at times, difficult to follow. But it did answer the question of how Middle Eastern knowledge got transfered to the West.
However, while it did answer that question, another one comes up. What happened after that? It looked as if the Arabs just gave up their scientific and philosophical preeminence. What happened to have caused that?
However, while it did answer that question, another one comes up. What happened after that? It looked as if the Arabs just gave up their scientific and philosophical preeminence. What happened to have caused that?
A Timely Theme — Important and Educational for Many
Philosophy and theology. The history of science. Contributions of the great minds to human progress. And finally, the strong contributions from Arab nations.
If any of these topics interest you – and they certainly should – you will share my fascination for The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization by Jonathan Lyons.
Even those with a foundation of knowledge in these topics will find themselves surprised at many points.
• ...more
Philosophy and theology. The history of science. Contributions of the great minds to human progress. And finally, the strong contributions from Arab nations.
If any of these topics interest you – and they certainly should – you will share my fascination for The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization by Jonathan Lyons.
Even those with a foundation of knowledge in these topics will find themselves surprised at many points.
• ...more
The first university of the world, House of Wisdom, or Bayt al-Hikma was the collective institutional and imperial expression of early Abbasid intellectual ambition and official state policy. Over time, the House of Wisdom came to comprise a translation bureau, a library and book repository, and an academy of scholars and intellectuals from across the empire. Its overriding function, was the safeguarding of invaluable knowledge, a fact reflected in other terms applied at times by Arab historians
...more
It was ok. I was hoping this book would discuss in more detail what was happening on the Arab/Muslim side of the story -- I would have liked to find out more about how the House of Wisdom came to be, and what role it played in the history of the Abbasid caliphate -- but overall I felt like we got more of a scattershot discussion of how some western European scholars interpreted the Arabic texts they encountered. Initially it seemed like the book's framing was going to be based on the history of
...more
Interesting and difficult book, one which cannot be read in the same way one would read literature. I found the abundance of names, dates, facts and developments somewhat overwhelming, but was thankfully able to hold on the the broader line of the historical developments in Arabic academic achievement across several centuries. I will probably be revisiting this book at a later moment to fill in the many gaps in my attention this time.
The final chapter was particularly interesting, laying out how ...more
The final chapter was particularly interesting, laying out how ...more
This book tells a fascinating story. It covers the Arab civilization's contribution to science and technology and philosophy during the period after the Greeks and Romans fell and while Western Europe was in a relatively backward state. Starting in the century after Mohammed, certain Arab leaders, being extremely interested in science, brought together and sponsored the best scientific thinkers from as much of the known world as they could contact including what was left of the Greek culture, th
...more
This book deals with the Arabic influence on modern ideas channeled toward discovery of ideas, sciences, and technology from early history. Somewhat amazingly Arab thinkers led the way with innovation and invention that far outpaced the traditional western world that was bogged down by religion and superstitious ideologies.
This part of the world of course was guided by Islam, yet the influence did not seem to curtail the progress of these early innovators in the same way. The reach of their know ...more
This part of the world of course was guided by Islam, yet the influence did not seem to curtail the progress of these early innovators in the same way. The reach of their know ...more
The 12th Century scholar Adelard of Bath, who features extensively in the book as a copious translator of Arabic texts on mathematics, astronomy and philosophy, pithily summarises the theme of this very well written, very well-researched book: “Of course God rules the universe. But we may and should enquire into the natural world. The Arabs teach us that.”
Lyons shatters the myth, propounded by some, that the Islamic world merely translated and transmitted the work of the Ancient Greeks and the c ...more
Lyons shatters the myth, propounded by some, that the Islamic world merely translated and transmitted the work of the Ancient Greeks and the c ...more
The Dark Middle Ages, when nothing happened in advancing our thinking when philosophy was stagnant - all in Europe, but it all flourished in the Arab world. This book is about that, what they discovered, sat in motion, and how it was brought to Europe. The book started as a mess, but after the initial confusion the story builds and we get an orderly representation of the most important events. The author follows particularly Abelard of Bath, as he was one of them that went into the Arab world to
...more
The house of wisdom was a vast library in 9th - 12th century Baghdad that accumulated the masses of Ancient Greek and other writings. Thus the questions posed as to whether the universe had a beginning and so on were debated within Islamic thought.
Enter Adelard of Bath, a 12 th century monk who determined to find all this out in the wake of the crusades. Thus begins the Church’s journey through hostility towards Aquinas’ marriage of faith and reason. The Holy Roman Emperor leads the charge towar ...more
Enter Adelard of Bath, a 12 th century monk who determined to find all this out in the wake of the crusades. Thus begins the Church’s journey through hostility towards Aquinas’ marriage of faith and reason. The Holy Roman Emperor leads the charge towar ...more
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Jonathan Lyons spent twenty years as a foreign correspondent and editor for Reuters, much of it in the Islamic world. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Monash University and lives in Portland, Oregon. His publications include The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization and (with Geneive Abdo) Answering Only to God: Faith and Freedom in Twenty-First-Century Iran.
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