BRN 9-3 - Flipbook - Page 19
The History of Science
The history of science is like a giant
lego project. It progresses one block
at a time, each a foundation for the
next. Science progresses in the same
manner, not by some great leap by an
individual but rather by the
accumulated effort of the community.
In ÒIslamic inßuence on the scientiÞc
methodÓ Muhammad Khan notes that
the scientiÞc method, sometimes
described as a 16th century European
invention, was developed in the same
manner, one block at a time. He
notes: ÒThe core practices that are
now associated with modern science
Ñ systematic observation, experi-
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mental testing, quantitative analysis,
and disciplined skepticism toward
authority Ñ were explicitly articulated
and practiced during the Islamic
Golden Age, which lasted from the
8th to 14th centuries. Ibn al-Haytham,
for example, paired mathematical
reasoning with controlled experimentation to overturn prevailing
