A Reply to “1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets”
10:30
4 Oct 2013
History of Science
David Wood
This undated episode of the David Wood vlog (video blog), “Islam and Science” entitled, “A Reply to ‘1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets’”, takes Muslim apologists to task for exaggerating (as he sees it) the roles Islam and Muslims played in the development of the West. He quotes verses of the Qurʾān to support his representation that the Qurʾān is a “scientific catastrophe”.
Wood’s thesis is that it was only through conquest that the Islamic empires were able to create a “golden age”.
The exhibition Wood mentions was at the National Geographic Museum from August 2012-February 2013. The video for the exhibition is available here.
Evaluation:
Wood distorts ideas about Islam at least as much as those he is critiquing. He states that reinterpretation of the Qurʾān is off limits, which is wrong.
Wood’s thesis is historically inaccurate, as there were advances in scientific thought well beyond the period constructed as the Islamic golden age. The suggestion that Muslims “have given the world” terrorist attacks is also inaccurate. In the 1960s and 70s, for instance, nearly all attacks on civilian populations were done by non-Muslims.
There is no real science mentioned here. Wood repeatedly alludes to problems in both the exhibit and the video, which is advertising for the exhibit, but never concretely mentions anything.
About David Wood
David Wood is a former atheist turned Christian apologist who hails from New York. He holds degrees in philosophy and biology and is currently in the process of acquiring a Ph.D. at a university in New York that he won’t name. Wood is involved in evangelical Christianity, and makes frequent appearances on the Aramaic Broadcasting Network (ABN). In addition, he often participates in public debates with Muslims and atheists, utilizes YouTube to talk about his opinions on religion, and is a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers.
Wood is quite critical of Islam, and believes Christianity to be the true religion, though he openly challenges people to respond to his articles and opinions on the subject. He currently runs three blogs: Acts 17 Apologetics (which includes subsections on “Science”, largely focusing on creationism-related videos, and “Answering Muslims”, presenting his ideas about Islam and Muslims), The Problem of Evil. The Problem of Evil has not been active since 2007.
Select Bibliography:
“David Wood (Christian Apologist).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Accessed 16 May 2015.
Feldman, Kiera. “The anti-Muslim Machine.” Killing the Buddha. Posted 1 Nov. 2010. Accessed 17 May 2015.
Wood, David. Acts 17 Apologetics. N.p., n.d. Accessed 16 May 2015.
Wood, David. “Articles by David Wood.” Answering Islam. N.p., n.d. Accessed 16 May 2015.
Wood, David. “The Problem of Evil.” The Problem of Evil. N.p., n.d. Accessed 16 May 2015.