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To: Cronos
Algerbra was derived - not invented - from Hindu and other ancient sources by an arab scholar.
248 posted on 02/11/2004 10:12:11 AM PST by ffusco (Maecilius Fuscus,Governor of Longovicium , Manchester, England. 238-244 AD)
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To: ffusco
Algerbra was derived - not invented - from Hindu and other ancient sources by an arab scholar.
I said that maths came from the 'east' that would include Indians and arabs. But, thanks for that, it proves a very good point -- every Eurasian civilisation has borrowed from other Eurasian civilisations. The civs in the Americas and sub-saharan Africa never really were in contact with the Eurasian landmass, so their influence on modern civs is very minuscule. So, the Indians invented the concept of zero and the basis of algebra. The Greeks did the same for geometry. The Arabs, having formed their Empire between these two intellectual regions developed it further. Modern computing etc. is based on these early discoveries. Note however that these were already highly developed civilisations. To say that the bushman civilisation or the Papua new Guinean civilisation can have a major impact on present and future civs is incorrect. They could have minor impacts like knowing some medicinal plants that could help with diseases or something like that, but not a major impact -- they are not that developed enough.

That's why, when the Europeans invaded Africa, Australia, the Americas and Asia, their impacts were on places that had lower levels of development. In the Americas, Africa and Australia the native civs were either at a lower stage of development or in the case of the Incas, not immune to Eurasian diseases. In Asia, the European impact is comparatively small to non-existent as these were at a higher level of civilisation until the Industrial age.
267 posted on 02/12/2004 12:59:57 AM PST by Cronos (W2004!)
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