Defending Human Intelligence Is A Tough Gig

Part 6 - Part 5

Visionary Humans

Unnecessary Setbacks to Human intelligence continue in the West as out of control egos spawn and propagate mayhem and carnage, in futile attempts to dominate one another.

In the face of increasing violence and destruction, a new threat was emerging. Not merely to Life and limb, or to property, but to an element equally essential to making living a life worthwhile as an Intelligent Being. That element was, and still is, Knowledge.

To protect this invaluable asset that permits Humanity to advance Spiritually and Materially, courageous decisions needed to be made.

To this end intrepid Visionary Humans acted with valor and bravery to defend and protect their accumulated knowledge - the fruits of their Higher Thought - in the most pragmatic way.

That pragmatic way was moving their knowledge to a safer location where mindless violent fools could not access and destroy it. The personal risks these foresightful Humans must have taken, is worth speculating upon.

Islamic Golden Age

Whilst the West descended into chaos, the emphasis on learning migrates to the stability of the Middle East. This flight is what today we call brain drain. But the overriding motive was to protect and preserve painstakingly earned knowledge.

Exemplifying the momentousness of Cooperation, this stable period of Human Relations in the East became known as the Islamic Golden Age. Lasting for around five hundred years, the Golden Age spanned the mid eighth to the mid thirteenth centuries.

Engaged within an atmosphere of cordiality amongst intelligent and like minds, learning advanced at a rapid pace. Translation of many important European Manuscripts such as Ptolemy's Almagest, were carried out in Academic Centers, like Bayt al-Hikma. The House Of Wisdom.

In an ironical twist of events, Bayt al-Hikma was burned and extensively damaged during the recent American - Iraqi war.

Harmony Works

While Europeans languished in a morass of recriminations, reprisals, and repression, brave voices cried out in dissent, and brave souls sought new knowledge. Many souls paid a horrific price for daring to expand their mind, suffering loss of freedom and torture. Often that price was their life. Death by hanging, or burning at the stake.

During this period of unconditional ignorance and minimal expression of Human Intelligence in Europe, stalwart Islamic Scholars, working in Harmony with other scholars of many ethnic backgrounds kept Mathematics, Astronomy, Medicine, and other Scientific Disciplines active and nurtured.

The translations of European Works into Arabic, were amalgamated with Islamic knowledge, built upon and expanded.

As with other periods of stable Human Relationships, much of practical value was discovered and many advances were made, across all Disciplines, during the Islamic Golden Age.

Advances

Advances that set the scene for further progress by laying those sound foundations for Science and civilized Society that we take for granted today.

Towards the final days of this impressively productive period, accomplished by Humans doing the right thing, Academic and Scientific advances were finding their way back to the West as the flourishing Islamic Golden Age suffered severe and brutal decline inflicted at the hands of the Crusaders. Followed by the threat of annihilation via the ambitions of Genghis Khan and his descendants.

Advances and progress though, were not altogether welcomed by the so called ruling classes in Europe. Domination of their weaker fellows was more their thing. Using brute force would achieve this trick. So they thought.

Talk about a merry-go-round. Or should that be unmerry-go-round??

We witness this same foggy, confused, Thinking process being exercised by some Leaders in our current Age of - not quite - Enlightenment.

Human Intelligence Devises Scientific Method

Near the beginning of the Islamic Golden Age, during the mid eighth century, an Islamic Alchemist, Jābir ibn Hayyān, also known as Geber advocates practicing Scientific Rigor and Experimentation.

His persistent demand for Rigor and Experimentation help to dispel Mysticism and Superstition. By substituting sad mind numbing and stultifying Attitudes with knowing.

Geber shares the acknowledgment of Father of Chemistry with other Great Minds. Their only contact being intuition, these Great Minds disparate efforts contributed to Unity and Truth. This is a fine time to remind oneself that Great Minds do indeed think alike.

Initiating, and setting in motion, what we today call the Scientific Method, is surely deserving of the title, Father of Chemistry.

Rigorous Scientific Method defenders are especial people. Few, relatively speaking, and somewhat far between. But defenders of the Scientific Method make exceptional effort to keep Rational Thought alive and center stage in misunderstood areas.

Believe it or not Humanity is still struggling with the problems of mysticism and superstition today. Some of our fellow Humans insist on refusing to use their Minds the way Nature intended.

Sharing an undesirable trait in common with cousin Homo Habilis they are unaware of their Human Intelligence.

Finding thinking too difficult, they relinquish their autonomy and allow others to control and direct their lives via those same crude influences that have worked in the past, and still work, in the absence of Knowledge and Understanding.

The concise definition of the word Science, is To Know. Thus, Science covers every aspect of existence. The more we comprehend - particularity the potential of Human Nature - the less influence evil wields on our Decision Making.

The Answer

As with the rest of early History there is doubt, due to the lack of hard evidence, about the accuracy of events and actual time span of the dark ages in Europe.

However, what we do know as historically factual is more than sufficient evidence to confirm that oppression, intimidation, and domination reigned supreme over people's comprehension of the potential of Human Intelligence.

And we also know that today oppression in its various guises remains a significant and barely addressed problem.

The responsibility, and challenge, of defending Human Intelligence is a tough gig. The loudest voice in the room carries much influence over individuals whose lack of knowledge of how the Human Mind functions places them at a disadvantage to a fellow Human who is prepared to follow up his demands of compliance with violence.

It matters not if violence against another person is Physical or Psychological. Another Human suffers serious damage. Often permanent.

The answer to this perennial problem resides in your own mind.

Personal Development Philosophy, presented on this and other Quality Websites, provides the tools to unleash the power that can deal effectively with this debilitating threat.

With one proviso, it will be neither an easy, nor quickly achieved, undertaking. That said, it is entirely possible.

Whatever happens in the World in the meantime, as individuals we can be Visionary Humans, and can develop our own Steel Trap Mind.

Human Intelligence Rocks!

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