Science in the system of Arab‑Islamic culture of the classical period

Background. The relevance of this topic stems from the marked growth of interest in the Muslim cultural world in general and in its “Golden Age” in particular. Examining the distinctive features of the emergence and development of Arab-Islamic science in this period broadens religious-studies and cultural-studies perspectives on the interrelation between science and religion.

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to analyze the specifics of science and scientific knowledge within the system of classical Arab-Islamic culture of the 7th–13th centuries.

Methodology. The methodological foundations are defined by a system approach implementing the principles of holism, structural organization, complementarity and autonomous involvement. Historical-genetic, phenomenological, and hermeneutic methods of cultural analysis are also employed.

Results. The study considers the origins of and cultural influences on the development of Arab scientific thought shaped by the Muslim religious tradition. The following core features are identified: the high status of science and scientific knowledge; the prestige of literacy and the book; the significance and wide prevalence of education; the encyclopedism of Arab-Islamic science in the classical period; and its utilitarian, practical orientation. The specifics of Arab science are illustrated through the achievements of the Arab-Islamic “Golden Age” in mathematics, mechanics, astronomy, medicine, chemistry and alchemy – developments that made the Arab East a center of the scientific world and realized the idea of the “triumph of knowledge.”

Practical implications. The results of the study can be applied in teaching across philosophy, religious studies and cultural studies.