Name: Mehdi Raza Khorasani

Course #: Scientific Methods

Date: September 20, 2019
Assignment Title: Contribution of non-western scholars to science. A study between 2nd and
15th century

Abu Yusuf Yaqub Ibn Ishaq Ibn Al-Sabbah Al-Kindi (803-873) is termed as the father of Arab
philosophy. Like most of the scholars of the medieval period, Al-Kindi was a polymath. He
wrote approximately 265 treatises which include his work on philosophy, astrology,
mathematics, geometry, physics, psychology and medicine with addition to religion.
Furthermore, Al kindi, like most of his contemporaries, was well acquainted with the
philosophical thoughts of Greek thinkers with emphasis on Aristotle. Looking at the medieval
period, one finds immense contributions towards scientific knowledge from Muslim Scholars
which contradicts the western historical narrative of identifying this period as The Dark Ages.
This article aims to present a summary of the scholarly works of Al-kindi to indicate that his
works indeed displayed the precursors of what we know of today as modern day science.
Al-kindi based his thoughts and ideas mainly on Aristotle in addition to Neoplatonism and
neopythagoreanism. Al-kindi, being a student of comparative religion, was a person following
the path to understanding theological concepts on the basis of science and logic. As a result, he
was inclined towards the Mu’tazili School of Islamic thought, mainly inspired by its logical
proofs of divinity and other important concepts that it provided absent in the orthodoxy religion
at the time (Sheikh, 1974). His work is therefore an attempt to reconcile the ideas of Aristotelian
philosophy, as well as that of science with Islamic traditions. This concept, known as syncretism
(Sheikh, 1974), was common among the medieval philosophers. As a result, Al-kindi believed
that religion, science and philosophy all in all ultimately lead to the Divine truth which can be
seen throughout his work. Therefore, it is arguable that, although the motivation to his work was
likely due to religion, restricting medieval thinkers like Al-kindi to religion and theology would
narrow the horizon of knowledge that they produced.
Moreover, he is also known for his work in Music, an abstract entity at the time, to which he
applied mathematics in his seven books on Music. Furthermore, his beliefs in mathematics can
also be found in his writings. He writes in one of his treatise, “No one could be a philosopher
without being thoroughly disciplined in mathematics” (Plinio PRIORESCHI MD, n.d.). Also, he
was largely famous for his applications of quantitative methods in pharmacology. During his
time, the measure of intensity of drugs was interpreted in terms of degrees of hotness and
coldness. The more degree a certain drug had, the more powerful it was deemed to be. This very
definition of what constitutes a degree however, was not specifically defined. As a solution, A-
kindi put forth the idea that a substance having neither hotness nor coldness i.e. temperate, has
one part of each. To explain, if the hotness of a substance was increased, it will increase in a
geometric progression (2 folds, 4 folds…), whereas the degrees increased will be in Arithmetic
progression (Plinio PRIORESCHI MD, n.d.). Although his idea of using proportions and laws of
fractions in medicine was accepted by empiricists such as Roger Bacon but was regarded
extremely difficult to understand. Similarly, a proposition of the fact that extreme cold turns air
into water was also proposed by Al-Kindi in his book Risala fi l-Illa al-Faila li l-Madd wa l-Fazr
(Plinio PRIORESCHI MD, n.d.). This proposition was successfully demonstrated by him
quantitatively by using weighing techniques which demonstrates his passion regarding
quantitative methods in science. In fact, his methods of measurements are regarded as precise
and ‘modern day laboratory like’ by present-day scholars (Plinio PRIORESCHI MD, n.d.).
To summarize, one must be reminded of the fact that Al-Kindi’s contributions were not
recognized in the contemporary medieval period. But we all bear witness to the fact that
quantitative methods and reasoning are a major part of modern day science. Although it couldn’t
be argued that his theories regarding medicines or music are carried to the present, his
propositions and treatises have certainly served as a precursor for the modern as well as a
breathing ground for the postmodern scientific age.
References:

1. Sheikh, M. S. (1974). Studies in Muslim philosophy (3rd Ed.). New Delhi: Adam

Publishers & Distributors.

2. Plinio PRIORESCHI MD (n.d.). Al-Kindi, A precursor of The Scientific Revolution.

3. (Dr. Taimur Rehman, 2015). Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1EPVQ5srkE