[R-G] [BillTottenWeblog] Islam's evolutionary legacy

[Bill Totten]

As we celebrate Darwin, let's not forget the unsung champions of
evolution from the Muslim world

by Ehsan Masood

guardian.co.uk (March 01 2009)


Last month, scientists from around the world partied into the small
hours on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Darwin.

But as we celebrate the work of one of the most influential scientists
ever, let's take a moment or two to remember others who contributed
ideas in the history of evolutionary thought. Many came from Britain as
well as other countries in Europe. Others came from further afield, and
their writings are increasingly coming to light thanks to the
painstaking work of historians of science, and historians of ideas.

One of them is an East African writer based in Baghdad in the 9th
century called al-Jahiz. In a book describing the characteristics of
animals, he remarked:

"Animals engage in a struggle for existence, and for resources, to avoid
being eaten, and to breed". He added, "Environmental factors influence
organisms to develop new characteristics to ensure survival, thus
transforming them into new species. Animals that survive to breed can
pass on their successful characteristics to their offspring."

Or there's Muhammad al-Nakhshabi, a scholar from 10th century central
Asia. He wrote: "While man has sprung from sentient creatures [animals],
these have sprung from vegetal beings [plants], and these in turn from
combined substances; these from elementary qualities, and these [in
turn] from celestial bodies".

In their excellent Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest
for Human Origins (2009), Adrian Desmond and James Moore describe how
Darwin and his family were influenced by the anti-slavery movement, and
they explore the extent to which these ideas, in turn, influenced his
own thinking - especially on the idea of the connectedness of humanity.

A parallel line of argument can also be found from a Spanish philosopher
from the 12th century. His name is Muhammad ibn Arabi and he developed
an idea that his translators called the "unity of existence". He
believed that all living matter is connected. And many commentators now
think that this was his way of showing that within humanity, there can
be no outsiders or "others".

These ideas were later taken up in the writings of Indian-born
philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal in the early 20th century. We also know
that Iqbal had been reading Darwin and wanted to find a way of
synthesising the latest ideas from biological science with earlier
Islamic-era philosophy. Iqbal today is revered throughout South Asia and
also happens to be Pakistan's national poet.

Why is it important to emphasise links between Darwin, and thinking on
evolution in other cultures?

One reason is that in many developing countries today, Darwin - and by
extension evolution - are seen as being in the service of imperialism.
This is partly because of the period in which Darwin lived and worked,
but also because of a perception that Darwin's ideas were used by
colonialists to provide "scientific" justification for empire.

Another reason comes from the rise of creationism. I've just finished
work on a new documentary series for BBC radio 4 on science and Islam in
the modern world. One thing I didn't expect to find was the extent to
which creationism poses a risk to what is otherwise more encouraging
news: that after decades of neglect, interest and investment in science
and learning in Islamic countries is on an upward trajectory.

Many countries are building more universities and opening doors for
young people to embark on PhDs. Progress, however, will be slower if
more start believing that scientific knowledge can be found in the pages
of sacred texts; or if they devote time and energy getting sucked into
anti-evolution campaigns.

Instead, if today's young scientists could just take a peek into the
history of science in Islamic cultures, they would see a respectable
tradition of thinking, debate and argument on the origins of life and
the evolution of species.

The irony in all this is that creationism did not exist as a significant
movement during the heyday of Islamic civilisation. Back when Baghdad
was a centre for advanced learning, scientists did not spend hours
examining passages of revelation to see if they compare with observed
knowledge of the natural world.

Instead, they went out and tried to discover things for themselves.

Islam and Science is on BBC Radio 4 at 9pm on Monday 2 March. It is also
available to download on BBC i-player.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/feb/27/islam-religion-evolution-science


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