Please join the Columbia University Libraries, the Center for Science and Society, Columbia’s Muslim Student Association, and the Middle East Institute for a student-led event, organized by Mohammad Zaidi, a sophomore at Columbia College, to take place on February 23rd at 4 P.M. in Butler 203.
The event is composed of two parts: a talk by Mohammad M. Zaidi entitled "Islamic Environments and Food Cultures", and a lecture by Prof Van Dalen (MESAAS), entitled: "Was Classical Islamic Medicine Considered a ‘Science'? Approximating Certainty in the Art of Healing". Dr. Van Dalen's talk will address the following ideas: the scientific character of medicine was debated among Islamic scholars, especially those who weren’t themselves physicians. A decisive point of contention in this debate was the possibility of epistemic certainty in the medical discipline. This talk will discuss different attitudes among Islamic physicians regarding the possibility of certainty in medicine, and the consequences these views had for medicine’s scientific character and its place within the hierarchy of the Islamic sciences. In doing so it will also highlight the importance of certainty for definitions of the scientific in Classical Islam , and the Galenic ideal of approximating certainty and its reception among Islamic physicians.
The talks will be introduced by Professor Pamela Smith (Director of the Center for Science and Society, Columbia University Department of History) and will be followed by a tour of the exhibit "Science, Nature and Beauty: Harmony and Cosmological Perspectives in Islamic Science”, which showcases over 90 manuscripts, instruments and objects from the Muslim World Manuscript collection housed in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the Columbia University Libraries. The exhibit is a collective curatorial effort that has involved students, faculty members, librarians and library staff working hand-in-hand. The tour, led by Mr. Zaidi, will highlight a few items in the exhibit, which illustrate some ideas of Islamic philosophies of science as they pertain to the harmonious connection between individuals and their environment.
This event contributes to an understanding of Islamic science as a robust, diverse and lively scholarly endeavor, and as a central and non-reducible component of larger and non-linear histories, cultures and traditions of the arts and sciences. This event is open to all: attendees are encouraged to register below: visitors of the exhibit and members of the public, please be aware of the University COVID compliance requirements, and be prepared to show government-issued ID at the Library Information Office in order to enter Butler Library.
The hours for the Library Information Office can be found here, and for the Rare Book and Manuscript Library here. The exhibit is accompanied by an audio guide, which can be accessed here, and an e-brochure, which can be downloaded here.
