Two Lessons I Learned from Roshdi Rashed

Document Type : Research/Original/Reqular Article

Author

Professor, Sharif University of Technology

Abstract

Roshdi Rahed’s research into the history of science during the medieval Islamic period displays not only detailed insight into the methods and practices of the mathematicians of the period, but also a commanding knowledge of the evolution of mathematics before and after this era. His investigations leave little doubt that radical paradigmatic progress took place in mathematics during this period that paved the way for the developments in Europe beginning in the 14th and especially during the 16th century. We intend to show that Roshdi Rashed’s work casts serious doubt on the following three popular assumptions of Western historiography of the medieval Islamic period mathematics. One, that the main role of mathematicians of that epoch was the preservation of Greek mathematics and its transfer to Europe with little or no innovation. Two, that the mathematics of antiquity manifested a decidedly `European character.’ And third, that the mathematics of the Renaissance was a direct continuation of the traditions of Greek and Alexandrian mathematics.

Keywords


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