Quote:The remainder of the article cannot be easily summarized, but overall the impression that I get is that the Greek philosophers did influence some of the Islamic philosophers, but that influence did not extend to the Islamic populations. So, the parallel that I drew between ancient Chinese philosophy and modern Western life is, I think, still applicable. So, strictly speaking, modern Islamic philosophy does trace back to classical Greek, but mostly in the sense that it denies the validity of the Greeks' beliefs.
Sure. But the great unwashed masses of Dark Ages/Medieval/Rennaisance/Early Modern Europe didn't even speak the Latin they were preached to in, let alone the Greek philosophers it was supposedly rationalized with. Nor does Joe Average American (nor any other Western nationality) have much to tell you when you ask them for a rundown of the philosophical relevance of Socrates to their life. So, having an influence on the "populations" is a pretty high standard, and I don't think Christendom fares any better than Dar-al-Islam.
As for denying the validity of the Greeks' beliefs, who doesn't? Christian authors only accepted them in exactly the same sense that Islamic ones did: as being wise ideas, but hopelessly in need up updating in light of the new religious revelations. The Greeks themselves don't believe in what the ancient Greeks wrote, and surely they have as fair a claim as anyone. Frankly, I think much the same thing about the Greeks, from a more secular standpoint. Who actually accepts the validity of ancient learning? Even the ancients themselves squabbled like schoolchildren over who was right and who was wrong.
-Jester