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Greetings:<br><br>
My good friend Ghazi reminded me the role of Medieval Islam was not
merely as transmitter of Greek philosophy and science, but also
innovator. So I've edited and added to the essay that I
posted.<br><br>
"In rejecting the charge of racism, Wilson claimed that it was
Christianity, not genes, that make a culture superior. He said that if
Christianity had moved south instead of west, Africans would now be the
most advanced people in the world.<br>
One might ask how Wilson defines cultural superiority. If it is economic
power, then Euro-Americans will be overtaken by Chinese and Indians in
20-30 years. If it is moral superiority, how does Wilson explain that
fact that Christian America now imprisons 2 million people, while the
Japanese currently incarcerate 150,000, if you adjust for population. We
will be militarily superior for a long time, but I remember Jesus saying
that we should be as little children when we come to him.<br>
History appears to disconfirm Wilson's view of Christianity’s special
advantage. Medieval Europe is Wilson’s ideal world, but the rest of the
civilized world at that time--China, India, and the Islamic
countries--was far more advanced than these Europeans. In fact, if it had
not been Mongols bringing Asian goods/inventions and the Muslims
preserving Greek philosophy/science and introducing algebra, Europe would
have remained stagnant. <br>
Wilson has the Mongols to thank for the pants he wears, and he should be
grateful to the Hindus for the zero. The Mongols were the source of the
gunpowder that Wilson's hero Robert E. Lee used against the Union Army.
Furthermore, it would be very difficult for Wilson to count his book
royalties with Roman numerals. We live in one great world culture
in which all people contribute. Even the wisdom of the Bible is based on
many Middle Eastern cultures."<br><br>
<b>Nick Gier<br>
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<font size=2>"The god you worship is the god you
deserve."<br><br>
~~ Joseph Campbell<br><br>
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