E16 The Translation Movement and Islamic Medicine with Dr.Elaine van Dalen

Bottled Petrichor

Join me as I discuss the translation of philosophical texts into Arabic with Dr. Elaine van Dalen, Assistant Professor of Classical Islamic Studies in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University. When and where were texts first translated after the rise of Islam? What was the "translation movement" and what was the political and social context of the movement? What was the motivation behind translating texts of certain topics and how did the change in social/religious atmospheres engender the translation of other texts? What was the "Bayt al Ḥikmah" and how has this been popularly understood? Who was translating? How was medicine practiced during these times? What was the status of medical knowledge of the human body like during this time? And more!