Ibn al-Haytham

Este capítulo está dedicado a las fuentes ópticas de Leonardo da Vinci, que pueden haber contribuido a su conocimiento y a su pericia práctica de la perspectiva.
Para estudiar las fuentes de Leonardo, aplicaré el "método de los trazadores", un refinamiento del estudio de los paralelismos textuales que consiste en: 1/ establecer la comparación en palabras de baja frecuencia léxica; 2/ extender la contraposición de los textos emparentados al mayor número de textos posible. Consideraré tres casos: las fuentes vinculadas a un nombre de autor, las fuentes no vinculadas a un nombre de autor y las fuentes sin paralelismo textual.

Year 2015 marks the thousandth anniversary of the publication of the first volume of the seven-volume treatise on optics, Kitab al-Manazir (Book of Optics) in 1015, by Ibn al-Haytham, which drastically transformed our understanding of the vision and paved way for the emergence of optics as well as marked the advent of the modern science. Beyond the contributions this book made to the field of optics, it was a remarkable work in that it is based on conclusions on meticulous experimental evidence rather than abstract reasoning, the first major publication to do so. Right from what may appear today as a very simplistic claim, light travels in a straight line from the objects that emit light, he established fundamental properties of light and what we today call as geometrical optics. This shift in the emphasis on experiments rather than 'words of wisdom' of ancient scholars was an important epistemic rupture that was furthered by Galileo Galilee few centuries later, paving the way for the modern epistemological foundations for science.

The modern physiological optics introduces the notions related to the conditions of fusion of binocular images by the concept of correspondence, due to Christiaan Huygens (1704), and by an experiment attributed to Christoph Scheiner (1619). The conceptualization of this experiment dates, in fact, back to Ptolemy (90-168) and Ibn al-Haytham (d. after 1040). The present paper surveys Ibn al-Haytham's knowledge about the mechanisms of binocular vision. The article subsequently explains why Ibn al-Haytham, a mathematician, but here an experimenter, did not give the circular figure of the theoretical horopter, construction due to Gerhard Vieth (1818) and Johannes Müller (1826). But, on the other hand, it is clear that Ibn al-Haytham's experimental study puts in place the notion of corresponding points, the cases of homonymous and cross diplopia, and even prepares the discovery of Panum area.

This article aims to obtain a pattern of scientific research to study about Islam. Specifically, the model is based on the functions of Alhazen’s scientific research. It is further examined from the perspective of fard ayn knowledge. The reason is fard ayn knowledge provides the elementary understanding about Islam. With the usage of content analysis method, this article explores the compatibility between functions of Alhazen’s scientific research with the concept of fard ayn knowledge. The discussion is divided into three main parts. Firstly, the discussion on the functions of Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific research. Secondly, review on the concept of fard ayn knowledge and its application. Finally, the construction of the pattern of scientific research which to study about Islam. As a result, there are three patterns of scientific research found to be used in the study of Islam. First, knowledge of tawhid becomes the principle of a scientific research. Second, knowledge of fiqh gives the dimension to a scientific research. Third, knowledge of akhlaq gives the positive expressions in scientific research.

From the madrasa-graduate establishing the scientific method to the inventor of algebra; from the geographer of the most accurate map in the pre-modern world to the theologian-poet whose travels exceeded Marco Polo, Magellan or Columbus; from a million-word medical encyclopedia to Enlightenment’s bestselling Arabic novel; from North America’s bestselling poet to Reagan’s favourite medieval economist; from the Shariah judge that inspired Europe’s most freethinking university to the scholar who at the pinnacle of his fame walked away from it all: we will examine their influence in their time and ours. The course, back by popular demand, will visit the brighter side of the medieval Dark Ages: the golden age of Islam, to make sense of the present.

★ Rabia 717-801 
★ al-Khwarizmi 780-850
★ ibn al-Haytham 965-1040
★ al-Biruni 973-1050
★ ibn Sina  . 980-1037
★ al-Idrisi 1100 -1165
★ ibn Tufayl 1105-1185
★ al-Ghazali 1126-1198 
★ ibn Rushd 1058-1111
★ Saladin 1137-1193
★ Nasir al-din Tusi 1201-1274
★ ibn Arabi 1165-1240
★ Mevlana Rumi 1207-1273
★ ibn Batuta 1304-1369
★ ibn Khaldun 1332-1406

In  genere si identifica nella sola prospettiva lineare il contributo della scienza alla pittura rinascimentale. In questo saggio mostro come la teoria ottica scientifica possa aver contribuito alla formazione dell'estetica realista del Quattrocento.
La teoria delle caratteristiche visibili (Intentiones) di Alhacen (Ibn al-Haytam), può essere considerata una delle fonti teoriche del naturalismo nella rappresentazione visiva.
La comprensione visiva del mondo avverrebbe secondo il filosofo arabo attraverso la cognizione delle caratteristiche visibili dei corpi. La pittura rappresenta i corpi visibili riproducendone la luce, l'ombra, il colore, la distanza, il luogo, la corporeità, la figura, il movimento e la quiete (che sono alcune delle intentiones studiate da Alhacen e trattate da Alberti nel De pictura): la pittura naturalista non riproduce la natura ma l'esperienza delle caratteristiche visive dei corpi condivisa dall'universo dei vedenti.
In questo saggio individuo nel De pictura di Leon Battista Alberti uno dei mediatori della dottrina ottica di Alhacen negli ambienti degli artisti.

This article has two main purposes. First, to identify the sources of the formation of Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific thinking; and second, to analyze his scientific thinking worldview. The scientific thinking worldview refers to a holistic overview of the systematic and dynamic thinking in attaining knowledge which is attributed to Muslim scholar, Ibn al-Haytham. However, Ibn al-Haytham was accused by some Western scholars of being a secular minded Muslim scholar. Meanwhile some orientalists claimed that his school of thought was adapted only from Greek scholar, Aristotle. The question is, is it true that Ibn al-Haytham was a secular minded Muslim? Is it true that Ibn al-Haytham separates the divine element in implementing his scientific research? What are his sources of worldview? What about the worldview of his scientific thinking? All questions are answered by performing a content analysis on relevant secondary data. The discussion in this paper is divided into three main parts. Firstly, reviewing the biography of Ibn al-Haytham; secondly, identifying the sources of his scientific thinking worldview; and thirdly, analyzing the main elements of Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific thinking worldview. As a result, this paper concludes that the scientific thinking worldview of Ibn al-Haytham is characterized by three things: first, the Qur'an and the Hadith; second, philosophical thinking of the Greek scholars; and third, the influence of contemporary scholars. The overall analysis found that Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific thinking worldview are rooted from the strong faith in God, based on Islamic ethics and the desire of seeking the truth.

Keywords: Worldview; thinking; scientific; Ibn al-Haytham; element

Abstrak Dalam mempelajari ilmu pengetahuan tentunya banyak sekali ilmuan-ilmuan muslim yang sangat berperan dalam berkontribusi di dalamnya. Sudah banyak diketahui bahwa pada masa keemasan Islam banyak bermunculan ilmuan-ilmuan yang sangat kompeten dibidangnya masing-masing. Mereka berhasil tampil sebagai filosof dan saintis yang mengisi berbagai macam keilmuan, seperti kedokteran, matematika, kimia, fisika, dan sebagainya. Keilmuan mereka tentunya sangat berharga khususnya dalam bidang sains. Begitu berharganya keilmuan dan apa yang dipersembahkan oleh mereka, sehingga mereka dijuluki sebagi bapak sains di bidangnya masing-masing. Salah satu ilmuan muslim yang tersohor dan terkenal dalam bidang sains yaitu Ibn al-Haytham. Pada umumnya Ibn al-Haytham lebih dikenal sebagai seorang saintis dan ahli matematika hingga saat ini. Nama lengkap beliau adalah Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Al-Haytham. Dalam dunia Barat ia dikenal sebagai Alhazen, adalah ilmua muslim yang ahli dalam bidang sains, falak, matematika, geometri, pengobatan dan filsafat. Selain itu ia juga banyak menyelidiki mengenai cahaya. Walaupun tokoh ini dikenal dalam bidang sains, dia juga memiliki kemahiran dalam bidang agama, falsafah dan sebagainya. Kata kunci: Ibn al-Haytham, Alhazen, kontribusi, sains PENDAHULUAN Sebagai umat Islam sudah seharusnya bagi kita untuk mengetahui perkembangan sejarah ilmu pengetahuan, banyak tokoh-tokoh muslim yang sangat bergejolak dalam ilmu pengetahuan, bahkan pada masa keemasan Islam muncul beberapa ilmuan-ilmuan muslim yang sangat terkemuka dibidang ilmu sains, salah satunya dalam bidang optik yaitu Ibn al-Haytham. Beliau merupakan salah satu saintis yang terkemuka yang dilahirkan dalam peradaban Islam.

Ibn al-Haytham (ou Alhazen), que viveu dez séculos atrás, é um dos homenageados do "Ano Internacional da Luz", por causa de suas pesquisas sobre óptica. Cerca de 1000 anos atrás, ele propôs uma nova interpretação da visão, que teve enorme impacto, sendo o ponto de partida da teoria que foi aperfeiçoada depois por Kepler e que constitui a base do que aceitamos atualmente. Esta palestra apresenta, primeiramente, as teorias sobre a visão existentes na Antiguidade. Depois, analisa alguns autores medievais islâmicos que se dedicaram à óptica. Por fim, descreve o trabalho de Ibn al-Haytham sobre o assunto.

The scientific method has become a universal research methodology. However, this method is still based upon Western epistemology and worldview. In fact, Western scholars are of the opinion that if any field of knowledge intends to achieve universality and acceptance by the global community, the scientific approach is expected to be used. The question is whether this Western scientific approach is relevant for studies on Islam and the Muslims while their epistemology and worldview differ? Therefore, there arises a need to redefine this scientific concept for the purpose of developing Islamic research methodology. In implementing this redefinition, a prominent Islamic scholar, Ibn al-Haytham has been identified as the main scholar who spearheaded the scientific method. Based on these issues, this study is conducted with three specific objectives. First, identify the scientific concept based on the scientific thinking worldview of Ibn al-Haytham. Second, analyze the scientific concept founded by Ibn al-Haytham from the Islamic epistemology and worldview perspective. Third, propose a scientific concept based on the scientific thinking worldview of Ibn al-Haytham that can be applied in Islamic research methodology. In achieving these three objectives, this exploratory research design was carried out on the worldview thoughts of Ibn al-Haytham. Data is obtained through the collection of secondary data sources and thereafter analyzed using content analysis. As a result, this study found that the scientific thinking worldview of Ibn al-Haytham was developed through several stages of the research he conducted. His thoughts are based on divine revelation as a source of guidance in a scientific research as well as the philosophy of ancient and contemporary scholars as sources for the scientific ideas, definitions and inspiration. Next, the scientific elements based on the worldview of his thinking are divided into two which are instrumental elements (wasilat) that includes the senses and intellect, and natural elements (fitrat) that contain intuition and sunnat Allah (the law of Allah) in nature. These elements clarified the functions of his scientific research which is to strengthen tawhid (monotheism), to carry out Islamic laws and worship, to acquire true information and to practice Islamic akhlaq (manners). The goal of all of these research functions is to obtain mardat Allah (Allah’s pleasures). In fact, Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific studies are based on principles such as the singularity and objectivity of truth, anti-authoritarianism and mathematics as the tools of proof for his research. Finally, the scientific thinking worldview of Ibn al-Haytham is suitable to be used as a scientific concept in Islamic research methodology. This is because of its strength from the epistemology, worldview, tools of analysis, ontology and goals oriented point of view. Thus, this scientific concept of Ibn al-Haytham provides some implications new dimension in terms of understanding of the positivism paradigm that is usually used today.

Since the nineteenth century, much research has been published in various languages about Ibn al-Haytham and his works in optics and mathematics. Since then, we have found in the writings of scholars that he has had extensive knowledge and works in several fields of philosophical, natural and mathematical sciences. In addition to his famous writings on optics and his research in mathematics, he has been the author of numerous works on the interpretation of philosophy, logic, and natural sciences in the Aristotelian and Galenic traditions. Some works about the history of Islamic philosophy emphasize the philosophical dimension of his thought and by highlighting it, Ibn al-Haytham has been introduced as a comprehensive philosopher who has also contributed to optics and mathematics.
By looking at Ibn al-Haytham's works, we come across a long list of philosophical and mathematical writings. Professor Roshdi Rashed has reached this conclusion in his research: We are actually dealing with two different persons named Ibn al-Haytham: Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham, a mathematician, with famous and accurate works in the fields of mathematics including optics and the astronomy, and Muhammad ibn al-Haytham, a philosopher, with works on the interpretation of the traditional Alexandrian philosophical tradition (Aristotelian, Neoplatonic, Stoic) and more, with the aim of facilitating the teaching of these works to those interested in philosophical studies. The distinction of these two Ibn al-Haythams and the recognition of the two from each other bears fruits in the study of the history of science which leads us to deal with the arguments of Rashed in this regard. In this article, by referring to Roshdi Rashed's textual studies and some others, a total of twenty pieces of evidence have been shown to distinguish between these two Ibn al-Haythams.

Tutto quello che sappiamo della vita di Ibn al-Haytham viene dai racconti dei quattro bio-bibliografi Ṣāʿid al-Andalusī, al-Bayhaqī, Ibn al-Qifṭī e Ibn Abī Uṣaybiʿa (Sabra 1989, II: xix-xxiv; Rashed 1993: 1–19)… Ibn al-Haytham non morì nel 1039, come si scrive, ma dopo 432 dell’Egira (dal 11 settembre 1040 al 30 agosto 1041) perché Ibn al-Qifṭī afferma che «possedeva un volume (juzʾ) di geometria scritto dalla mano di Ibn al- Haytham e datato 432» (Ibn al-Qifṭī ed. Lippert 1903: 167).

This paper aims to identify the underlying elements in Ibn al-Haytham philosophy of science and to analyze it from the Islamic theory of knowledge views. The discourses about the theory of knowledge often debate in contemporary philosophy of science. Moreover, the modern philosophy of science today is based on the logical-positivism philosophy which concerned with the data that may be perceived by the sensations. However, as a Muslim scholar who is the earliest to introduce the scientific thought, are there any similarities between the elements of the scientific view of Ibn al-Haytham and the philosophy of logical-positivism? What about the prospect of Islam on his scientific thought? Thus, with the aid of content analysis upon some of Ibn al-Haytham’s works, this paper try to seek the answers. The discussion in this paper is arranged in three parts, i.e. first, the discourse on the demands of integrated philosophy of science; second, the identification of Ibn al-Haytham’s fundamental elements in his scientific thought; and third, the analysis from the perspective of Islamic and Western theory of knowledge. As the result, this paper identifies four fundamental elements, i.e. the senses, the intellect, the intuition and the laws of nature which embodied in the Ibn al-Haytham philosophy of science. It can be concluded that all these elements are compatible with the Islamic epistemology.

Keywords: Ibn al-Haytham, philosophy of science, element, thought, integrated

Title: The Origins of Renaissance Perspective Theory
Author: WANG Zheran
Published: Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2019
Description: 291 pages
Language: Chinese
Series: Tsinghua Studies on History and Philosophy of Science
Identifier: ISBN 978–7–100–17110–6

This book tries to provide a historical explanation of the intellectual context of Renaissance linear perspective, a continuous narrative of the evolution of the science of vision from the Ancient Greek to the 15th-century. There is a long-time argument about why the ancient Chinese did not invent linear perspective. Most contemporary Chinese scholars tend to attribute the reason to the difference of the ways of thinking or the concepts of space between the East and the West. In the author's opinion, however, the scholars ignore the basic fact that ancient Chinese had never developed a mathematical approach dealing with the problems of vision and light. Thus, it would be strange and need an explanation if they had invented such a painting method. The reason for this prominent overlook is that the history of western optics, especially of the ancient and medieval period, is still barely known in Chinese scholarship. The book aims to fill in this gap.

The Introduction chapter of the book starts with a criticism of Erwin Panofsky's misinterpretation of the relationship between Euclidean optics and linear perspective. Then the author clarifies the meaning, usage, and Chinese translation of several critical terms, such as optics, perspective, and perspectiva. The last part of the chapter offers a literature review of contemporary western scholarship in this field, mainly discussed the work of Maurice H. Pirenne, Samuel Edgerton Jr., Kim Veltman, Martin Kemp, Judith V. Field, David Lindberg, Dominique Raynaud, Kirsti Andersen, and Mark Smith.

The first chapter traces the basic concepts of linear perspective back to the research of vision in Ancient Greek. Aristotle first stated the feasibility and necessity of applying geometry into the problem of vision and light. Euclid axiomatized the known optical propositions. Both Euclidean optics and linear perspective based on the concept of the visual cone. However, the target of the two is different. Euclidean optics aims to describe visual appearance by using the visual cone, while linear perspective seeks to construct a pictorial representation on an intersection plane within the visual cone. The chapter also discusses the possibilities of the invention of linear perspective in the ancient. Theoretically speaking, the four survey theorems in Euclid's Optics and propositions in Catoptrics could be used in perspective construction. The existence of scenography also showed that ancient Greeks and Romans had been applied the optics into painting. However, they never propose a strict theory of linear perspective.

The second chapter studies the science of vision in the Middle Ages. Al-Kindi found the principle of punctiform analysis of light and visual ray. By synthesizing the optics and the physiology of the eye, Ibn al-Haytham suggested that vision generates from the image formed on the anterior surface of glacial humor, introducing a new conception of the image. Thus, the picture plane, which is the intersection across the visual pyramid in linear perspective construction, could be viewed as an exteriorization of the front surface of the lens of the eye. Roger Bacon and other perspectivists carried on the legacy of Arabic optics. They conceived that natural causes agree with the multiplication of species, ascribed the function of metaphysics to perspectiva, facilitated the communication of optical knowledge in Latin West.

The third chapter focuses on the early 15th-century Florence, where the first modern theory of linear perspective emerged. It argues that the birth of linear perspective was a triumph by making a combination of the theoretical optics and practical experience of artisans. Brunelleschi conducted two perspectival experiments, demonstrated that perspective painting could reproduce visual illusions. In On Painting, Alberti suggested that perspective constitutes the paradigm or grammar for the language of the painter, namely geometrical figures. Thus the art of painting could be regarded as a science or a liberal art. He clarified the optical principles on which linear perspective depends, and gave an operative and effective construction method. Lorenzo Gilberti's private note The Third Commentary, a work of transcription and translation of medieval perspectiva treatise, reflects the considerable enthusiasm of artisans for learning the knowledge of optics.

The fourth chapter pays attention to the works of Piero Della Francesca and Leonardo da Vinci, who intended to systemized the theory of perspective in the second half of the 15th century. In On Perspective of Painting, Piero organized the propositions and examples of perspective into an axiomatic system. By following the structure of Euclid's Optics, he put forward two construction methods and proved the validity of perspective. He also raised the problems on edge distortion but failed to offer a rigorous solution. Leonardo invented a more comprehensive system of perspective, in which each visual effect could be expressed by one perspectival technique. In this system, the category of linear perspective, color perspective, and distinction perspective based on three visible qualities, the division of natural perspective and accidental perspective based on the size of visual angle, and finally, the division of compound perspective and simple perspective based on the usage of a plain or a spherical intersection. Besides, Leonardo generalized the inverse size/distance law in linear perspective as Pyramid Law, which was used by him to explain the quantitative relationship in statics, mechanics, and motion. This fact indicates that medieval perspectiva had a significant influence on Leonardo's research on nature.

The book primarily is based on the author's Ph.D. dissertation (Peking University, 2017).​

Leonardo da Vinci has long been celebrated for his consummate genius. He was the painter who gave us the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and the inventor who anticipated the advent of airplanes, hot air balloons, and other technological marvels. But what was the connection between Leonardo the painter and Leonardo the scientist? Historians of Renaissance art have long supposed that Leonardo became increasingly interested in science as he grew older and turned his insatiable curiosity in new directions. They have argued that there are, in effect, two Leonardos—an artist and an inventor.

In this pathbreaking new interpretation, the art historian Francesca Fiorani offers a different view. Taking a fresh look at Leonardo’s celebrated but challenging notebooks, as well as other sources, Fiorani argues that Leonardo became familiar with advanced thinking about human vision when he was still an apprentice in a Florence studio—and used his understanding of optical science to develop and perfect his painting techniques. For Leonardo, the task of the painter was to capture the interior life of a human subject, to paint the soul. And even at the outset of his career, he believed that mastering the scientific study of light, shadow, and the atmosphere was essential to doing so. Eventually, he set down these ideas in a book—A Treatise on Painting—that he considered his greatest achievement, though it would be disfigured, ignored, and lost in subsequent centuries.

Ranging from the teeming streets of Florence to the most delicate brushstrokes on the surface of the Mona Lisa, The Shadow Drawing vividly reconstructs Leonardo’s life while teaching us to look anew at his greatest paintings. The result is both stirring biography and a bold reconsideration of how the Renaissance understood science and art—and of what was lost when that understanding was forgotten.

Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) was known through his contributions in the field of optics and his magnum opus, Kitāb al-Manāẓir. Beside of the optical theories introduced by him, his study also set out a systematic research methodology known as the scientific method. In fact, Ibn al-Haytham pointed out that the truth value is very important in his research. What is his view regarding the truth in doing scientific research? Is Ibn al-Haytham’s conceptions of truth conform with the philosophy of Islamic research? Moreover, there are different views on the truth in scientific research based on Western philosophies which are contrary to the Islamic faith. Thus, this paper seeks to identify and analyze Ibn al-Haytham’s conception of truth in scientific research comprehensively. To ensure that the purpose of content analysis in Kitāb al-Manāẓir is achieved, the data is collected from any other of Ibn al-Haytham’s works. The discussion in this paper is divided into two parts: first, Ibn al-Haytham’s conceptions of truth in scientific research; and second, an analysis from the perspective of the philosophy of Islamic research. As a result, this paper found six conceptions of truth which is hold by Ibn al-Haytham. First, the singularity of truth; second, truth is a guidance which may begin with scepticism; third, truth must be anti-authoritarianism; fourth, truth must be objective; fifth, proof of mathematics can reach the truth; and sixth, truth are based on the law of God (sunnat Allāh). These six views of Ibn al-Haytham regarding the truth in scientific method are based on the concept of oneness of God (tawḥīd), which are consistent with the philosophy of Islamic research.

Zhao Youqin, a Taoist in Yuan Dynasty, presented an optical thesis named “Xiaoxia Guangjing” (images by an aperture) in his astronomical book Gexiang Xinshu. So far, abundant academic discussions had been made on the thesis. However, previous scholarship didn’t notice that Zhao’s research on pinhole images aimed to explain the perplexing phenomena in observation of solar eclipse; such research had no precedent in ancient China before Yuan Dynasty but was a significant task in western optical inquiry from ancient Greece. According to an analysis of the related literature, this paper shows that Zhao’s research, like Western European scholars after the 13th century, was deeply influenced by Arabic optics. Furthermore, the paper concludes that Guo Shoujing could not be the intermediary agent between Zhao and Islamic science and that Qiu Chuji most likely brought Zhao's puzzle of pinhole image​ from the Western Regions.

The discussions on epistemology are closely related to the source and methodology of obtaining knowledge. Today's modern scientific methodology which is driven by logical positivism philosophy lay too much importance on data that can be observed by the senses and is rational to the mind. Therefore, it have a few differences from the Islamic epistemological framework which are value driven in process. However, it was said that Ibn al-Haytham is one the earliest Muslim scholars to base his research on scientific methods. The question is how Ibn al-Haytham obtains scientific knowledge? Does it fit into Islamic epistemological framework? Hence, this article intends to identify the epistemological aspects of Ibn al-Haytham's scientific thoughts by using the content analysis method. The findings showed that Ibn al-Haytham's scientific epistemology is based on reflection on the verses of al-Qur'an, belief in God's law (sunnatullah) of nature, observation by the senses, cognitive reasoning, and intuition. Therefore, the source of knowledge pertaining to Ibn al-Haytham's scientific thoughts is integrated as what shown in the discussion of Islamic epistemology.

261 pp. Springer (Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics) – This book provides the critical edition of Ibn al-Haytham’s On the Shape of the Eclipse with English translation and commentary, which records the first scientific analysis of the camera obscura. On the Shape of the Eclipse includes pioneering research on the conditions of formation of the image, in a time deemed to be committed to aniconism. It also provides an early attempt to merge the two branches of Ancient optics—the theory of light and theory of vision.
What perhaps most strongly characterizes this treatise is the close interaction of a geometric analysis of light and experimental reasoning. Ibn al-Haytham conducted his experiments in a systematic way by varying all that could be changed: the shape and size of the aperture, the focal length of the camera obscura, the distance and shape of the celestial bodies. This way, he achieved a thorough understanding. This work represents a decisive step in both the history of optics and the application of the experimental method that was just as efficient in medieval Islam as today.

Ibn al-Haytham is a well-known Muslim scientist in the field of physics, specifically in optics and astronomy. However, this paper aims to analyze his thought in teaching and learning even though he is not involved in education. The information about his life background is not widely revealed, whilst he is seen to have no writing in the field of education. Therefore, this paper attempts to examine some of Ibn al-Haytham's autobiography as in al-Bayhaqi, al-Qifti and Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah's work using content analysis methods to extract his thinking on ethics in teaching and learning. In addition, his main work, Kitab al-Manazir, was also studied for this purpose. As a result, this paper identifies some aspects of his teaching and learning ethics throughout his life. Among them is to take the basic pay for education, to test the will of the students and to apply the wisdom of previous scientists in lifelong education.

Scientific methodology was first introduced in the social science discipline through Émile Durkheim's work entitled Rules of Sociological Method. Nevertheless, scientific methodology is presumed to be inadequate when wholly applied in Islamic-based research because it has limitations when studying Islam and Muslims. This indicates the importance of reexamining the scientific approach when formulating an Islamic research methodology. Based on historiographical sources, the scientific methodology was first explored by a Muslim intellectual named Ibn al-Haytham. The question is, what is the philosophy entrenched in Ibn al-Haytham's scientific research? Moreover, is his philosophy adequate to develop Islamic research methodology? Hence, this paper intends to identify the philosophy beyond Ibn al-Haytham's scientific research and analyze its suitability with the Islamic research methodology. Thus, by using content analysis, the discussions are arranged into three sections. Fi...

Was the Renaissance a miraculous and unique case of spontaneous combustion or was it set aflame by torch carriers arriving from elsewhere? This course will examine the traffic of ideas that flowed into Europe over the course of the Renaissance periods with a focus on influences from predominantly Muslim civilizations (but also China, India etc). Exploration of the Renaissance Intersection will provide an intercultural understanding of the light that shone after the European Dark Ages. Though interdisciplinary in scope, the course does not require any specialized knowledge. It is in a series based on the principle of alterity: to know ourselves we need to know the “other.

Lecture 1. Elephant in the Room (Ahmed ibn Majid & Vasco de Gama)

Lecture 2. Snow White’s Prince (ibn Rushd: Averroes/Averroism via SPan & Siciliy; Leo Africanus & Dante)

Lecture 3. On the Shoulders of Giants (Ziryab, ibn HAzm & Troubadours; ibn Rushd, Al Farabi: Alfarabius/Avenassar; ibn Arabi & Dante)

Lecture 4. Looking Outward (ibn al-Haitham, al Battani, Urdi, al Tusi & Copernicus, Galilieo)

Lecture 5. Looking Inward  (ibn al-Haitham, Ghiberti, Roger Bacon, Witelo; St Francis & Giotto; al Razi: Rhazes & Vesalius; Ghazali)

Lecture 6. Elephant crossing the Ocean (ibn Tufayl & John Locke; Conclusion)

Scientific methodology was first introduced in the social science discipline through Émile Durkheim’s work entitled Rules of Sociological Method. Nevertheless, scientific methodology is presumed to be inadequate when wholly applied in Islamic-based research because it has limitations when studying Islam and Muslims. This indicates the importance of re-examining the scientific approach when formulating an Islamic research methodology. Based on historiographical sources, the scientific methodology was first explored by a Muslim intellectual named Ibn al-Haytham. The question is, what is the philosophy entrenched in Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific research? Moreover, is his philosophy adequate to develop Islamic research methodology? Hence, this paper intends to identify the philosophy beyond Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific research and analyze its suitability with the Islamic research methodology. Thus, by using content analysis, the discussions are arranged into three sections. First, is to ...

Questa nota documenta il funzionamento della tavoletta sperimentale costruita da Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) per studiare la visione binoculare, ed i risultati delle cinque esperimenti ideati da lui per evidenziare le condizioni di fusione delle quasi-immagini prodotta da entrambi gli occhi.

The concept of aerial perspective has been used for the first time by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519). This article studies its dependence on Ptolemy’s Optica and overall on the optical tradition inaugurated by Ibn al-Haytham’s Kitāb al-Manāẓir (d. after 1040). This treatise, that was accessible through several Latin and Italian manuscripts, and was the source of many Medieval commentaries, offers a general theory of visual perception emancipated from the case of the moon illusion, in which physical and psychological factors are closely combined. Atmospheric extinction (not refraction, which is sometimes confused with) affects the conjectured size of remote objects. This phenomenon is also the core source for a pictorial rendering of depth, that is based onto a principle different from the diminution of size.

ابن هیثم بدون شک یکی از مهمترین دانشمندان سده های نخست تمدن اسلامی است. نگاشته های او در شاخه های مختلف ریاضیات و طبیعیات و به ویژه نورشناسی مهمترین گواه جایگاه علمی برجسته او به شمار می رود. این نگاشته ها در سال های گذشته مورد توجه جمع عدیدی از پژوهشگران تاریخ علم دوره اسلامی قرار گرفته است.
  در این میان، بیشترین مطالعات درباره اهمیت او در سنت نورشناسی و مباحث فیزیک نور صورت پذیرفته است. با این حال این پرسش -به ویژه با توجّه به زمانه ابن هیثم که عصر فیلسوف دانشمندان بوده- پدید می آید که آیا ابن هیثم را نیز می توان فیلسوف دانشمند نامید. به تعبیر دیگر آیا ابن هیثم دستاورد فلسفی خاصی داشته است که بتوان وی را در سنت فلسفی جهان اسلام به عنوان یک فیلسوف برشمارد. و یا اینکه وی با تعابیر امروزی بایستی یک دانشمند صِرف دانسته شود.
  در این نگاشته، برای پاسخ به این پرسش نگاهی به آثار تاریخ فلسفه اسلامی انداخته ایم. محققان گوناگون در نگارش های خود درباره تاریخ فلسفه اسلامی گاه به ابن هیثم اشاره هایی داشته اند. حتی برخی از نگارندگانِ تاریخِ فلسفه فصلی را به زندگی و آثار و اندیشه های وی اختصاص داده اند.  در این آثار به کتاب های تاریخ علما ارجاعاتی داده شده است و با توجه به آثار و زندگانی خودنوشت او استدلال شده است که وی فیلسوفی ارسطویی بوده است. پروفسور رشدی راشد در کتاب تاریخ تحلیلی ریاضیات ضمن آوردن چهارده دلیل وشاهد استدلال می کند که محمد بن هیثم صاحب آن زندگی خودنگاشت و آثار فلسفی در شرح ارسطو است و ابوعلی حسن بن هیثم یک ریاضی دان و طبیعی دان غیر ارسطویی به شمار می رود.
  با نگرشی به آثار تاریخِ فلسفة نگاشته شده در جهان اسلام، روشن می شود که بیشتر توجّه ها به جنبه های روش شناختی اندیشه علمی در نگرش ابن هیثم مرتبط می شود. موضوعی که امروزه در مباحث معرفت شناسی و علم شناسی فلسفی از اهمیت بالایی برخوردار است. با این حال، آنچه به نظر نگارنده مقاله می رسد این است که این آثار به تمام جنبه های فلسفی آثار ابن هیثم توجه کافی نداشته اند. چه بسا علاوه بر روش شناسی بتوان مسائل و نگره هایی در فلسفه ریاضیات نیز در آثار وی جستجو نمود. امری که راه را برای پژوهشگران جوان تاریخ فلسفه برای مطالعه جدی تر اندیشه های فلسفی ابن هیثم باز می نماید.

A comparison of the manuscripts has shown that De li aspecti, the Italian version of Alhacen's De aspectibus, Vat. lat. 4595 (I), was copied from London, British Library, Royal 12.G.vii (L). The discovery of long omissions in L, not reproduced in I, disproves this conclusion. The error has two reasons: a sampling too small, the confusion between phenetic and cladistic approaches.
Une comparaison des manuscrits a montré que le De li aspecti, version italienne du De aspectibus d'Alhacen, Vat. lat. 4595 (I), était copié sur le London, British Library, Royal 12.G.vii (L). La découverte de longues omissions dans L, non reproduites par I, invalide cette conclusion. Deux raisons expliquent cette erreur : échantillonnage trop petit, confusion entre approches phénétique et cladistique.

The archaeology of Persia may be a significant element of the jigsaw of understanding the antecedents of film and moving image – in particular animation. In this paper the roots of the cinematic moving image have been analyzed in tandem with historical artifacts from Persia to consider the possible influence of Persian art and science on the nineteenth century inventors of optical toys that were a crucial step on the developmental path of animation and cinema more generally.

Scientific methodology was first introduced in the social science discipline through Émile Durkheim's work entitled Rules of Sociological Method. Nevertheless, scientific methodology is presumed to be inadequate when wholly applied in Islamic-based research because it has limitations when studying Islam and Muslims. This indicates the importance of reexamining the scientific approach when formulating an Islamic research methodology. Based on historiographical sources, the scientific methodology was first explored by a Muslim intellectual named Ibn al-Haytham. The question is, what is the philosophy entrenched in Ibn al-Haytham's scientific research? Moreover, is his philosophy adequate to develop Islamic research methodology? Hence, this paper intends to identify the philosophy beyond Ibn al-Haytham's scientific research and analyze its suitability with the Islamic research methodology. Thus, by using content analysis, the discussions are arranged into three sections. Fi...

261 pp. Springer (Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics) – This book provides the critical edition of Ibn al-Haytham’s On the Shape of the Eclipse with English translation and commentary, which records the first scientific analysis of the camera obscura. On the Shape of the Eclipse includes pioneering research on the conditions of formation of the image, in a time deemed to be committed to aniconism. It also provides an early attempt to merge the two branches of Ancient optics—the theory of light and theory of vision.
What perhaps most strongly characterizes this treatise is the close interaction of a geometric analysis of light and experimental reasoning. Ibn al-Haytham conducted his experiments in a systematic way by varying all that could be changed: the shape and size of the aperture, the focal length of the camera obscura, the distance and shape of the celestial bodies. This way, he achieved a thorough understanding. This work represents a decisive step in both the history of optics and the application of the experimental method that was just as efficient in medieval Islam as today

Abū 'Alī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham (aproximadamente 965-1040), conhecido no ocidente como Alhacen ou Alhazen, é um pensador islâmico homenageado no " Ano Internacional da Luz ". Cerca de mil anos atrás (não exatamente em 1015) escreveu seu " Livro de óptica " , Kitāb al-Manāzir. Propôs que a visão se dá através da luz e das cores que se espalham em linha reta, para todos os lados, a partir de cada ponto da superfície dos objetos, e atingem o olho, nele produzindo uma réplica bidimensional que percebemos. Sua teoria não é aceita atualmente, mas foi um passo importante para a compreensão do processo visual. Teve grande influência na Europa, da Idade Média até o início do século XVII, quando Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) propôs as bases da teoria da visão que ainda utilizamos. Este trabalho apresentará a teoria da visão de Alhacen, comparando-a com as de seus antecessores e mostrando algumas de suas limitações. Diversos pensadores da Antiguidade grega tentaram compreender como conseguimos enxergar coisas que estão distantes de nós, como árvores, montanhas, nuvens e estrelas. Como isso é possível? Os antigos atomistas (de Leucipo e Demócrito até Lucretius) supunham que todos os objetos luminosos ou iluminados emitiam continuamente películas muito finas, constituídas por átomos, que se espalhavam para todos os lados, mantendo as características do objeto de onde tinham saído – cor, forma, brilho etc. Quando penetravam no olho, este percebia as características do objeto observado, já que estava em contato direto com esta réplica. Tal interpretação tinha problemas graves. Como a enorme película de uma montanha conseguiria penetrar em um olho? Outra proposta, de pitagóricos e Empédocles, era que o olho emitiria um tipo de " fogo " que iria até os objetos, para produzir a visão – ou seja, uma teoria de emissão. Ela foi depois modificada por Platão. Segundo este, o olho emite um tipo de luz ou fogo visual; quando o ambiente em volta da pessoa está iluminado, tal fogo visual se combina com essa luz externa e forma raios que vão até os objetos externos, transmitindo suas características ao observador. É como se pudéssemos esticar dedos invisíveis até os objetos, tocá-los e perceber como eles são. Aristóteles rejeitou as teorias anteriores sobre a visão. Considerou que não era razoável aceitar que saísse alguma coisa dos olhos que fosse capaz de atingir até mesmo as estrelas. Também considerou que se a visão fosse um tipo de contato, poderíamos enxergar os objetos encostando-os ao olho; mas isso não acontece. Segundo Aristóteles, precisa existir um meio transparente entre o olho e o objeto; e é ele que atua sobre o olho e produz a visão. Os objetos visíveis produzem um efeito sobre o ar que está encostado neles e esse efeito (não material) pode passar instantaneamente até o olho do observador, onde é captado. Alguns pensadores posteriores tentaram compreender como a aparência visual dos objetos se altera, conforme sua distância e posição em relação ao observador – um estudo depois denominado " perspectiva ". Euclides supôs que o olho produzia um feixe de raios visuais, que se espalhavam em linha reta até encontrarem algum objeto opaco (uma teoria de emissão). Cada um deles tocaria um ponto do corpo observado permitindo ao observador saber sua posição (pela direção do raio) e outras propriedades. Autores posteriores, como Heron de Alexandria e Ptolomeu, também utilizaram essa hipótese, analisando geometricamente as propriedades dos raios visuais em espelhos (reflexão), assim como através de corpos transparentes (refração).

The title story of October,2015 issue of Urdu Science Monthly covers Ibn al Haytham,the Father of Optics as a part of our 12-month series of articles on Light,celebrating 2015 as International Light Year in memory of Ibn al Haytham.There are other interesting articles also covering different topics.

The Museums of Science and Technology in Islam in Frankfurt and Istanbul exhibit many mathematical and optical instruments. One of them is an
instrument to solve Alhazens problem to find reflection points in curved mirrors. The instrument is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. This article is
about mathematics, geometry and optics but also about the history of optics (Ibn al-Haytham). The article also looks at the true inventor of the
instrument displayed in the museum and what Leonardo da Vinci really did.

Abstrak Dalam mempelajari ilmu pengetahuan tentunya banyak sekali ilmuan-ilmuan muslim yang sangat berperan dalam berkontribusi di dalamnya. Sudah banyak diketahui bahwa pada masa keemasan Islam banyak bermunculan ilmuan-ilmuan yang sangat kompeten dibidangnya masing-masing. Mereka berhasil tampil sebagai filosof dan saintis yang mengisi berbagai macam keilmuan, seperti kedokteran, matematika, kimia, fisika, dan sebagainya. Keilmuan mereka tentunya sangat berharga khususnya dalam bidang sains. Begitu berharganya keilmuan dan apa yang dipersembahkan oleh mereka, sehingga mereka dijuluki sebagi bapak sains di bidangnya masing-masing. Salah satu ilmuan muslim yang tersohor dan terkenal dalam bidang sains yaitu Ibn al-Haytham. Pada umumnya Ibn al-Haytham lebih dikenal sebagai seorang saintis dan ahli matematika hingga saat ini. Nama lengkap beliau adalah Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Al-Haytham. Dalam dunia Barat ia dikenal sebagai Alhazen, adalah ilmua muslim yang ahli dalam bidang sains, falak, matematika, geometri, pengobatan dan filsafat. Selain itu ia juga banyak menyelidiki mengenai cahaya. Walaupun tokoh ini dikenal dalam bidang sains, dia juga memiliki kemahiran dalam bidang agama, falsafah dan sebagainya. Kata kunci: Ibn al-Haytham, Alhazen, kontribusi, sains PENDAHULUAN Sebagai umat Islam sudah seharusnya bagi kita untuk mengetahui perkembangan sejarah ilmu pengetahuan, banyak tokoh-tokoh muslim yang sangat bergejolak dalam ilmu pengetahuan, bahkan pada masa keemasan Islam muncul beberapa ilmuan-ilmuan muslim yang sangat terkemuka dibidang ilmu sains, salah satunya dalam bidang optik yaitu Ibn al-Haytham. Beliau merupakan salah satu saintis yang terkemuka yang dilahirkan dalam peradaban Islam.

ABSTRACT: The Liber de crepusculis by Gerard of Cremona is the Latin version of a lost text written by the Andalusi judge Ibn Mu'ādh al-Jayyānī. Authorship of the original Arabic text was attributed to Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) until the Hebrew version by Samuel ben Judah of Marseille was discovered. In this work, I present a synopsis of the history of the transmission of this text on the astronomical phenomenon of dawn and dusk, in four languages (Arabic, Latin, Hebrew and Italian), over a period of more than 500 years, in order to reflect on the adaptation process of the contents in the different languages, and contribute new perspectives on the transmission of scientific text in the period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Geoffrey Chaucer’s interest in optics has been considered by scholars in light of his depiction of love and its relationship to knowledge and metaphysics. Chaucer employs the literary motif of love at first sight both metaphorically and scientifically, as a physical and mental reaction as well as a cause of love as a sickness. Alongside this, Chaucer, unlike his literary contemporaries, demonstrates a sound understanding of medieval optical and mathematical theory, albeit at times veiled in metaphor, and that of the optical auctores, notably discerned in the Squire’s Tale: ‘They speken of Alocen, and Vitulon, / And Aristotle’ (ll. 232-33). Here, we find Aristotle alongside the leading Arabic authority on optics in the Latin West, Abū ʿAlī al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham, known in Latin as Alhazen, whose Kitāb al-Manāzir (‘Book of Optics’), was translated into Latin by an unknown scholar during late twelfth or early thirteenth century as De aspectibus (‘On Perspective’). He stands alongside the Silesian Dominican scholar, Erasmus Witelo (c. 1230-75), who based much of his work on optics, the Perspectiva, on Alhazen’s De aspectibus, in addition to the Aristotelian corpus. Whilst attention has been paid to Chaucer’s use of optics, there has been little focus on the figure of ‘Alocen’ specifically. This paper will aim to demonstrate the extent to which Chaucer’s knowledge of ‘compisiciouns / Of anglis and of slye reflexiouns’ (Squire’s Tale, ll. 229-30) was influenced by the Latin translation of Alhazen’s Kitāb al-Manāzir, taking into consideration the transmission and dissemination of manuscripts containing the Kitāb into Northern Europe and into England, in particular.  Moreover, this paper will aim to shed further light on the position of the Arabic scholar alongside Classical and Medieval European scholars in the Canterbury Tales, as well as the relationship between optics, knowledge and metaphysics, as influenced by Arabic learning.

This paper generally intends to obtain a scientific research concept based on Islamic understanding in order to carry out research on Islam. Specifically, the concept examined Ibn alHaytham’s roles in doing scientific research. This paper had explored the ontological aspect of Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific research philosophy by using the content analysis method. The discussion is divided into three main sections. The first section discusses the concept of ontology. The second section identifies the roles of Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific research, while the third section analyses the ontological aspect of Ibn al-Haytham’s philosophy on scientific research. The findings showed that Ibn al-Haytham views scientific research have its own importance pertaining to metaphysical realm. Specifically, his tawhid and morality guide him in doing scientific research.

Ptolemy's model of ecliptical planetary latitude is one of the issues that has always been important for astronomers. The planets do not always move on the ecliptic in their motions, in most moments they are slightly superior or inferior. This difference is called ecliptical planetary latitude. Ptolemy presents his methods in book XIII of Almagest, but his methods didn't attractive for the next scholars. Many astronomers in the Islamic era had criticisms of Ptolemy, one of the most important of these scholars was Ibn al-Haytham. He has critiques of the kind of natural philosophy, and in his treatise "Solution of Difficulties Concerning the Movement of Iltifaf" discusses the theory of latitude. In this paper, I will discuss Ibn al-Haytham's method for constructing the ecliptical planetary latitude.
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چکیده: مسألۀ عرض دایره‌البروجی سیارات در مدل‌های بطلمیوسی، یکی از مسائلی است که به دلیل ظرافت‌های ساخت مدل، همواره مورد توجه منجمان بوده است. سیارات در مسیر حرکت ظاهری خود، همیشه بر روی دایره‌البروج حرکت نمی‌کنند، بلکه در بیشتر مواقع کمی نسبت به آن، بالاتر یا پایین‌تر هستند. به این میزان از اختلاف، عرض دایره‌البروجی سیارات گفته می‌شود. بطلمیوس در مقالۀ سیزدهم از کتاب مجسطی به این موضوع می‌پردازد. اما روش او، چندان باب میل منجمان بعدی نبود، بسیاری از منجمان دورۀ اسلامی، انتقاداتی به روش بطلمیوس داشتند. یکی از مهم‌ترین انتقاد‌ها توسط ابن‌هیثم بیان شده است. ابن‌هیثم به روش کلی مدل‌سازی سیاره‌ای بطلمیوس، ایراداتی از جنس فلسفۀ طبیعی وارد می‌کند و در رساله‌ای با عنوان فی حرکه الالتفاف به طور خاص به مسألۀ مدل عرض در سیارات می‌پردازد. این مقاله با رویکردی به روشِ ساخت مدل‌ها، به معرفی مدل عرض بطلمیوسی سیارات می‌پردازد و پس از بیان ایرادات ابن‌هیثم، مدل او را معرفی می‌کند.

The discussions on epistemology are closely related to the source and methodology of obtaining knowledge. Today’s modern scientific methodology which is driven by logical positivism philosophy lay too much importance on data that can be observed by the senses and is rational to the mind. Therefore, it have a few differences from the Islamic epistemological framework which are value driven in process. However, it was said that Ibn al-Haytham is one the earliest Muslim scholars to base his research on scientific methods. The question is how Ibn al-Haytham obtains scientific knowledge? Does it fit into Islamic epistemological framework? Hence, this article intends to identify the epistemological aspects of Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific thoughts by using the content analysis method. The findings showed that Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific epistemology is based on reflection on the verses of al-Qur’an, belief in God’s law (sunnatullah) of nature, observation by the senses, cognitive reasoning,...

This paper aims to identify the underlying elements in Ibn al-Haytham philosophy of science and to analyze it from the Islamic theory of knowledge views. The discourses about the theory of knowledge often debate in contemporary philosophy of science. Moreover, the modern philosophy of science today is based on the logical-positivism philosophy which concerned with the data that may be perceived by the sensations. However, as a Muslim scholar who is the earliest to introduce the scientific thought, are there any similarities between the elements of the scientific view of Ibn al-Haytham and the philosophy of logical-positivism? What about the prospect of Islam on his scientific thought? Thus, with the aid of content analysis upon some of Ibn al-Haytham’s works, this paper try to seek the answers. The discussion in this paper is arranged in three parts, i.e. first, the discourse on the demands of integrated philosophy of science; second, the identification of Ibn al-Haytham’s fundamental elements in his scientific thought; and third, the analysis from the perspective of Islamic and Western theory of knowledge. As the result, this paper identifies four fundamental elements, i.e. the senses, the intellect, the intuition and the laws of nature which embodied in the Ibn al-Haytham philosophy of science. It can be concluded that all these elements are compatible with the Islamic epistemology. Keywords: Ibn al-Haytham, philosophy of science, element, thought, integrated