When I learned what was published in fall 2009 and a book entitled, I told myself: This is a book for me, my passion for the transmission of knowledge between East and West in both directions, who have studied Greek and Arabic studies. I was expecting a historical documentary, this is partly true, but this board is a polemic, as announced elsewhere immediately its subtitle: "Investigation on Islamophobia scholarly, "and finally, what is even more interesting, because I discovered this a little dusty passion usually does not reveal the crowds burning topical if exploited.
This is a collective work which was attended by scholars specializing in medieval history, anthropology, philosophy, religious studies, linguistics, etc.. And that is a response to a work of Sylvain Gouguenheim, Aristotle at Mont Saint-Michel. The Greek roots of Christian Europe , published last year in 2008, and numerous articles in newspapers and on internet in the months that followed, fueling a media controversy, which I confess had completely escaped at the time.
The subject concerns the many ancient Greek texts that were transmitted to medieval Europe through Arab scholars.
Basically, Sylvain Gouguenheim explains that scientists who claim that "we" need "everything" to "Arabs" (these are the words he uses) are wrong, since the texts of Aristotle for example, have not been transmitted by the Arabs, but also by copyists in Europe, particularly in a monastery of Mont Saint-Michel.
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The authors Greeks, Arabs and we meet him, not by retorting, "But if, but if we are indebted to the Arabs", but giving us a masterly lesson in historical method, which ultimately makes more work for the benefit of his particular subject.
is why I think this book should be read by every student of history, and even by any responsible citizen (even if some passages are too difficult, we will examine the mind).
The highlights of the valuable lessons I took away from reading this salutary
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First lesson: should not confuse the ideology with the story. Real historians are not for or against such a theory: they seek to know the truth as best as possible and, like any self-respecting scientist (because history is a science), do " believe "that they have some proof.
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Second lesson: beware of vague language. To take one example, that the word "we." First, in "We have (all / nothing) to the Arabs. "Who is this" we "? The Europeans, the Westerners? Today? From the Middle Ages? Besides, who am I in this "we", I who am half French and half Arab? And then the "we" "We had hidden the existence of other pathways transmission. "It's the" we "of the" general public "but the general public does not usually interested in subjects as sharp. For those who want to document, nothing is hidden, just check the literature!
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third lesson (which joined the previous): when we've done serious research in history, we realize that truth is never simple. medieval Western Europe must not anything or everything to the Arabs. And besides, what realities overlapping terms such as "Arabs", "Islam," the Greeks "," Europe ", the" Middle Ages "? Very different realities in time, space, and depending on the context. Some simple examples: "the Greeks" are not the ancient Greeks, but also the Greeks of Byzantium: the Greeks do they belong to Europe? In Christianity? Yes, yet often in conflict with Christianity in Western Europe. "Arabs" are not only Muslims but also Christians and Jews. And Jews, let's talk about: there's the Middle Ages as now both sides of the Mediterranean, and which belong to different cultures, while also bearing the Hebrew culture. "Muslims" are not all Arabs, but also Persian, Turkish, Berber. Finally, from late antiquity and the Renaissance (for "Middle Ages" is also a questionable formula) shows revolve around the ancient Greek texts as various people (Christians in the West, Christians of Byzantium, Syrian Christians, Arab Muslims and Arab Muslims of the East of Spain, Muslim Persian Jews from the East, North Africa, Spain, Northern Europe, and so on), you would have the difficulty reduce all these people to formulas or theories.
