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Islamic "alchemists" not "chemists"

Reader comment on item: Saudi Scholar Nixes Biofuels as Un-Islamic

Submitted by Rouvain Bension (United States), Mar 3, 2009 at 08:54

The Monitor article is too sloppy. The Moslems of the 8th and 9th centuries were alchemists (another Arabic-based term), not chemists. There is an important difference with possible propaganda implications.

The latter follow the scientific method of hypothesis–experiment–theory–experiment–law. Chemistry as a science is dated by agreement from August 1, 1774, with the discovery of oxygen by Joseph Priestley.

The former dabbled in secret arts bordering on superstition akin to the Philosopher's Stone. One can hardly glorify their efforts with an appellation of modern scholarship. (And they certainly didn't distill pure ethanol from wine; the best one can do by that process is 95% ethanol, 5% water.)

Submitting....

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Reader comments (15) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
I said it first! [32 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Dan BullardMar 14, 2009 07:30152262
Islamic "alchemists" not "chemists" [106 words]Rouvain BensionMar 3, 2009 08:54151522
Two State Solution - Hah! [315 words]Dan RusenMar 2, 2009 15:08151468
Oil and terrorism [94 words]Janusz KowalikMar 2, 2009 14:17151463
Fuel [17 words]YurukMar 2, 2009 11:35151452
I hope it becomes a fatwa [38 words]Gamaliel IsaacMar 2, 2009 11:29151451
Mohammedans [191 words]Lolo JayMar 2, 2009 11:20151450
Alcohol, defined [199 words]Rebecca MouldsMar 2, 2009 11:18151449
1The Koran didnt prohibit alcohol [380 words]Jurist Benedictos Mohamad AliMar 2, 2009 10:16151448
Islamic Law-Fatuity Exemplified [103 words]SusanMar 2, 2009 10:10151447
Bio fuels and the Koran [63 words]Elis PerisMar 2, 2009 08:34151440
GAS AND BAD [141 words]firozali A. MullaMar 2, 2009 07:48151439
Let's run for the strictly usage of Alcohol. [36 words]SvetlanatchkahFeb 26, 2009 20:56151267
Ethanol = Bad Transportation Fuel [612 words]Chevy Vortec 350Feb 27, 2009 21:45151267
Drunken fuel system [77 words]Chevy Vortec 350Feb 26, 2009 19:32151263

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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