Medieval Islam and the European Enlightenment
In this workshop, we will first introduce students to the key changes that came about during the European Enlightenment, then trace the history of ideas that resulted in this Enlightenment in Europe. Starting with the Greeks (and how they were influenced by Indian thinkers) through the medieval Islamic thinkers, to Spain and translation of Arabic works into Latin, to the Enlightenment. Three forerunners to Enlightenment thinking will be explored in detail. Firstly, Al Khwārizmī’s Arabic number system and the history of maths will enable students to see how much simpler the Arabic system was than using Roman numerals, and how advances made in history would not have been possible without it. Secondly, we will focus on medicine, again tracing the history of medicine from the Greeks to the Arabs and the Enlightenment. The contribution of Ibn Sīnā (known as Avicenna) will be explored, and students will be introduced to some innovative medieval Arabic surgical instruments, some of which seem quite gory now! Lastly, Al Fārābī’s ideas about reason, ethics and society will form the basis of our introduction to philosophy, whereby students will be posed questions about human nature and human society, and what they think about such things equated with Greek thought, Arabic philosophy and Enlightenment thinkers.
Statue of Al Khwārizmī, Uzbekistan
Curriculum for Excellence subjects and skills:
SOC 3-01a / SOC 4-01a / SOC 4-02a / SOC 3-05a / SOC 4-05c / SOC 3-06a / SOC 4-06a / SOC 4-06d / SOC 4-16c / SOC 4-16c / SOC 4-17a
RME 3-04a / RME 4-04a / RME 3-05a / RME 4-05a / RME 3-05c / RME 4-05c / RME 3-06b / RME 3-07a / RME 4-07a / RME 3-08a / RME 4-08a / RME 4-09e
National Curriculum subjects and skills:
History: Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901: The Enlightenment in Europe and Britain. Continuity and change, knowledge and understanding of significant aspects of the history of the wider world, how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.
Geography: Developing contextual knowledge of the location of geographically significant places.
RE: Learning about the history of Islam and Islamic beliefs. Developing understanding of concepts and mastery of skills to make sense of religion and belief.
Science/biology: The structure and function of the human skeleton, biomechanics, the function of muscles, tissues and organs.
Mathematics: Extending understanding of the numbers system.