Aristotle and Islam

[abaris]

I have seen debates and read forum posts in which Aristotle is touted by Muslims as the Greatest Philosopher ever. Do you think this is a deservedly pride filled claim by Muslim's since they saved Aristotle's works and brought to the West making the Enlightenment possible ? Or do you think of this as a failure to accept the progressive nature of human learning?

If you look at the history of the muslim world, they were the ones preserving the classic knowledge and writings. They were also the ones still doing actual research on medicine or technology.

If the west hadn't come into closer contact with them, we wouldn't even know the basic importance of hygiene.

Truth is, early islam, all through the middle ages, was much more tolerant and more interested in learning than the christian west. You may write that down as the rulers offering more opportunities. But it can also be down to the christian world being dominated by one central religious authority, the pope, whereas Islam always was what the rulers wanted it to be. There never was an ultimate authority to set up any kind of dogma.