The Arabic translation of ancient Greek literature and its wider dissemination demonstrates vividly that, in the sphere of knowledge and information, cultural cross-fertilization is not only desirable but essential to progress. It provides people separated by culture, geography, and even time the ability to learn from and inspire each other in a positive feedback loop benefitting humankind as a whole. The Western European medieval culture of “poking around” is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when reason is unshackled from dogma and intellectual curiosity is allowed to roam free,
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