It's a conspiracy

Although in all fairness, Nobel himself did invent dynamite...

Well I do think there is a danger of stereotyping. Moreover I think the entire problem comes with dividing humanity. We really should not care if only 9 women win an award and 20 men win an award when the competition is across all the genders. Assuming that the judgement has been unfair because the results aren't equal is stupid. Its one thing noteing our differences and feeling affiliating to our race or religion, but its another to get all mad at "underrepresentation" of winners of some competition.

I would like to receive some mass cards from the Sacred Heart League. I have moved and have a new addres. Please let me know how I can obtain them??
Thanking you in advance, I am

Marilyn M. Kruebbe
9650 Sherwood Court
Daphne, AL 36526

My e-mail address is
mmk@dodsonsteadman.com

Please let me know how to obtain Sacred Heart Mass Cards (the large ones). Thanks.

Marilyn M. Kruebbe
9650 Sherwood Court
Daphne, AL 36526
251-690-9300

Because Muslims have never been a major element of western academia.

Which is strange, in a historical sense, because Moorish Iberia held several of the leading academic centers of Europe. What happened that caused either a near complete stagnation or such a drastic retrogression in socieital development? That is, why could at one point Europe learn so much academically from Arab/Islamic areas, but now fear them as terrorists, potential terrorists, and people possibly funding terrorists?

Matthew-John,

Belloc tells us that it's because of factional disputes in the Muslim world.

He warned against Islam under a single, unifying leader. Their greatness is on hold right now, even if simmering hotter than it has in the past (see Dubai, rush to build nuclear desalination plants).

The West needs to maintain the Middle East in a state of disarray. Don't make them angry at us, keep them angry at each other. The current occupation of Iraqistan seems to be achieving neither. When they start legitimately winning Nobel Prizes, it's time to worry.

Matthew-John,

What happened is the very question that the Pope asked in his Regensburg address. The idea that God was outside of reason is what killed off scientific advancement in Islam. That the underlying structure of the universe could change at any time depending on God's whim so there was no point in understanding it.

I am currently reading Creation and Science (highly recommended) by Fr. Jaki and he goes indepth on this subject in why science was stillborn in so many cultures.

I read an article recently on this issue (I believe it was in crisis magazine). Basically, the current islamic thought is that whatever occurs in nature every moment is not because God made some laws that govern nature but because He wills it. For example, if you plant some corn you don't get a corn plant because it was the nature of the seed but because God "willed it" for that particular plant. We believe that by studying science we can grow closer to God because we understand His reason better. Our faith goes: know God, love God, serve God. To them, you can't know God, only submit to Him. That's why they are so backward in science.

Yes, Jaki's excellent book, Science and Creation, chapter 9, gives a very in-depth exploration of Islam and science in the early middle ages.

He also has a pamphlet called "Jesus, Islam, Science" which gives additional details in a shorter format - these are available from Real View Books.

The early Arabic Moslem was a curator of sorts that
was wise enough to save secrets of Greek and Roman science, math,philosophy etc. Once thrown out of Europe the dynamic changes and the theme song became "Under My Thumb".

"Because you don't get the Nobel for perfecting suicide bomber belts and making explosive shoes."

Oh man that's too high-larious. But I know I'll feel guilty if I quote you on my blog!