The fault in our stars
Let me begin by saying that i admire Sam Harris a lot. Post the irreversible loss of Christopher Hitchens, there have been few…
Let me begin by saying that i admire Sam Harris a lot. Post the irreversible loss of Christopher Hitchens, there have been few intellectuals around who speak their mind courageously and point out things the way they are without sugarcoating or patronizing others. Harris is certainly one of them. In a world that cares more about how truth appears and less about what truth really is, he is a much-needed hero.
That said, there’s something amiss when a person lets his bias overwhelm his gumption. In events like these, recorded facts are discredited to such an extent that the person in question ends up becoming exactly what he is accusing others of. The very manifestation of the curse wherein you turn into the thing you hate the most.
The above AV was shared by Richard Dawkins recently and i couldn’t help wonder how easy it is to allow a viewpoint to strong-arm fellow viewpoints by manipulation. In this video, you witness Harris reduce Islamic achievements of more than three centuries to one word: optics. According to him, the Arabic scholars, astronomers and mathematicians were least interested in exploring the universe and more focused on using the lens toward locating Mecca. This statement is not only absurd but also heinous. Even though i continue to be in disagreement with the usage of the phrase ‘the golden age’ — because it does very little for those high on nostalgia other than inspiring exaggeration and misplaced superiority — one can’t deny the scientific exploits of the Muslim world during the end of the first millennium. Things might seem bleak today given an average Arab’s allergy to non-religious books but that wasn’t the case about a thousand years ago. The scientific temper and the resulting curiosity were the reason why more than half of the stars that have an identity today are known by their Arabic names. Why so? Because the Muslim scientific community identified them and thus claimed the exclusive right to tag them. So much for keeping the lens horizontal instead of vertical!
The critics might resort to the good ol’ cul-de-sac that Arabs basically moved knowledge from point A to point B without a spine of originality. They apparently took the Hindu numerical system, among other things, to the Greeks who built something else out of them. And so on and so forth. Even if this is true, weren’t they doing a service to the field of advancement? If the progress of science and mathematics is anything to go by, movement of ideas have only contributed to the betterment of humanity. Collaboration, even in in isolation, have led to remarkable discoveries; the fruits of which are indiscriminately enjoyed by the entire world.
Going back to Harris’ reckless comments on optics, it’s utterly unfair to deprive achievements of the past. While doing so, he comes across as the very person he most probably isn’t: a bigot. Yes, religion has overstayed its welcome. Yes, it does more damage than the religious people are willing to accept. Yes, it shaped our history like nothing else did. Yes, we have every right to question its rot. Yes, non-religious societies register a better control over their emotions compared to the religious souls. But there should be a big NO to misrepresentation of those who served science once upon a time. It’s not very difficult to stick to established facts instead of letting one’s angst get in the way of an otherwise splendid monologue. Besides, how difficult is it to ensure that all the truths are in place to reach a conclusion you’re reaching anyway?