Science and Islam: The Golden Age 2009
Distributed by Films Media Group, 132 West 31st St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 800-257-5126
Producer n/a
Director n/a
DVD, color, 156 min.
College - General Adult
Religious Studies
Date Entered: 10/19/2012
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORAnyone interested in medieval Islam or the history of science will welcome this enjoyable and informative presentation. Jim Al-Khalili is an engaging guide and teacher. Supported by other scholars from a variety of disciplines, he traces advances in mathematics, optics, medicine, chemistry and astronomy. Although one could quibble about how much he claimed for Islam, the material was very good; most historians are boosters of their own field, and the value of this 3-DVD set doesn’t hinge on a few grandiose assertions. He is to be commended for discussing the significance of each discovery, as well as the motivations behind the enterprises.
Moving diagrams and animations illustrate his explanations of advances in astronomy, mathematics, and other areas to great effect. Even better are the extents to which he shows how science advanced, from enlisting a chemist to make perfume the medieval way, to carrying large astronomical devices up mountains to measure angles as the pioneering Muslim scholars did.
It struck me as somewhat anachronistic to talk about science with little reference to the theology and philosophy in which it was enmeshed. Of course, it’s his prerogative to set the scope, and one can’t cover everything. Near the end, however, this compartmentalized approach really failed. The most disappointing section was Al-Khalili’s explanation for the ending of this golden age. He points to external reasons only, and implies that printing was rejected by Islam for centuries because moveable type was too hard to achieve in Arabic. The alleged reasons were unworthy of such an otherwise informative documentary, and leave the viewer guessing as to why the Muslim world no longer led scientific inquiry and progress.
Finally, it would have been helpful to display the names of the important figures on the screen when being discussed, rather than just their portraits. His pronunciations can be hard to catch, and the treatment of these names in English has changed over the last several decades of scholarship.