Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.
Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all being Arabic in origin and at the very heart of modern science - there would be no modern mathematics or physics without algebra, no computers without algorithms and no chemistry without alkalis.
For Baghdad-born Al-Khalili this is also a personal journey and on his travels he uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by learning and obsessed with science. From the great mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, who did much to establish the mathematical tradition we now know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a pioneer of early medicine whose Canon of Medicine was still in use as recently as the 19th century, he pieces together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked achievements of the early medieval Islamic scientists.
BBC - BBC Four Programmes - Science and Islam, The Language of Science
Science and Islam: Part 1: The Language of Science
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Science and Islam: Part 1: The Language of Science
Science and Islam: Part 2: The Empire of Reason
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Science and Islam: Part 2: The Empire of Reason
Science and Islam: part 3: The Power of Doubt
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Science and Islam: part 3: The Power of Doubt
Besides from the Einstein glorification and the rather limited facts it is a rather nice docu. The chest containing Newtons papers didn't contain any physics, it showed him to be into engineering believe systems in stead. The Sumerians had evolved spiritually far beyond the point we are at today, from Chinese history very little remains (specially in the west). We also have many examples of suppression of innovation and misattribution today, some with purely malicious intend, some because one discovery leads to another sometimes with the last person getting all the credit for it. Tesla didn't invent radio, he brought it to the next level.