Alhazen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Check this guy out. He was an arab scientist who lived from 965 -1040 AD. He is the one that figuered out that eyes take in light, not shoot out lazers to see. He was one of the earliest and most important thinkers in the history of the human race. He pioneered scientific method
Epic quote by Alhazen on science "Therefore, the seeker after the truth is not one who studies the writings of the ancients and, following his natural disposition, puts his trust in them, but rather the one who suspects his faith in them and questions what he gathers from them, the one who submits to argument and demonstration, and not to the sayings of a human being whose nature is fraught with all kinds of imperfection and deficiency. Thus the duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists, if learning the truth is his goal, is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads, and, applying his mind to the core and margins of its content, attack it from every side. He should also suspect himself as he performs his critical examination of it, so that he may avoid falling into either prejudice or leniency" 1000 years ago!! Damn
I've actually heard of this guy before, but didn't know he was that cool. I definetely want to read up on him more now. Sounds like quite the intellectual badass. I especially love reading about scientists, phioosphers, and mathemeticians from places like the middle east, india, china and north africa. So many of their names and legacies must be lost to history now, because of the way western influence is given precedent over everywhere else in our history books.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDAT98eEN5Q]Neil DeGrasse Tyson - The Islamic Golden Age: Naming Rights - YouTube[/ame] shame that a stupid philosophy that math is the work of the devil became mainstream.