RE: Islam Responsible for the growth of Christianity and Europe
May 18, 2012 at 6:27 pm
(This post was last modified: May 18, 2012 at 6:32 pm by Anomalocaris.)
I would argue the greatest muslim influence to western christianity came as a result of the crusades in the 11th century, rather than as a result of the initial muslim expansion in the 8th century. I would also argue that, rather than leading to anything like a solidification of christianity, both muslim and byzentine contact during the crusades planted the seed of political and intellectual eclipse of christianity in the west 3 or 4 centuries later.
Whether the world would be more technologically advanced today if Moslim conquest had succeeded in the 8th century is hard to say.
If the more advanced 8th century civilizations in China, Byzentium and the caliphates couldn't make the modern world more modern than it is actually is without conqueoring Europe, why would we expect that they would make the modern world more modern if they had conqueored the civiizational backwaters of western Europe?
Whether the world would be more technologically advanced today if Moslim conquest had succeeded in the 8th century is hard to say.
If the more advanced 8th century civilizations in China, Byzentium and the caliphates couldn't make the modern world more modern than it is actually is without conqueoring Europe, why would we expect that they would make the modern world more modern if they had conqueored the civiizational backwaters of western Europe?
