[ExI] Eurocentric Bias in Human Achievement

[Lee Corbin]

Henrique writes

>> Japanese vs. Eurpoean?  What about Arabic?  There are 
>> reasons that all mathematics in the world is done with
>> Arabic numerals?  They contributed little to nothing to
>> mathematics?
> 
> The 'arabic' numerals are in fact Indian numerals.

Yes, I should perhaps have read your email before posting.

> Their math knowledge they took from the greek. 

Well, they took a *lot* of it from the Greeks and Indians,
but you make it sound as though they did nothing. Hardly:

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Indexes/Arabs.html

It's *only* that what they did was small *relative* to (later)
European and (earlier) Indian and Greek mathematics.

And MOST IMPORTANTLY, we must not allow their relative
lack of contributions to mathematics to cast a shadow on their
achievements in medicine, physics, and astronomy, which were
much more significant, (just think of how many stars have Arabic
names) even if those achievements still pale in comparison to
Europe's.

The key, of course, is the extraordinary and peculiar transition
that happened during 1100-1500 A.D. to a small penisula on the
western tip of the Eurasian land mass, for reasons still obscure. 

Lee