"European ideas"

The car, the television, the radio, the aeroplane, pencillin, the internet, the AK-47, the tank, etc. are 'ideas' which can be loosely ascribed to 'modern Europe'. But why do some (many?) Muslims rail so hard against other 'ideas' also considered 'modern' (and/or 'European') like 'democracy' or 'liberalism' or 'secularism'? Why do we grant a treatsie written by a 16th- or 17th-century European philosopher more weight than the car and aeroplane? Quite easily the latter have transformed our lives far more than what Hobbes, Locke or Kant might have written (unless someone makes a compelling argument to link the rail network and refrigeration with, say, Hobbes' Leviathan).

Comments

[sad muslim]

we can accept the impersonalness of western technology invading our barren world but ideas that underscore us, that talk to us, that make us question our firmly held and most deeply rooted beliefs?? too scary.
rule over us, surpass us, let us be passive consumers of your gadgets but lift us from this intellectual stupor to realise our own power?
we'll secularise (i.e compartmentalise) our hearts before consenting to such an assault.

[Abu Muhammad]

Salam Br. thabet,

I have linked your entry to my blog without permission. I hope you wont mind it as I haven't cross-posted the text. BTW, it was a brilliant question to contemplate.

wassalam

[Julaybib Ayoub]

Personally, I love European ideas. I've been reading J S Mill recently, and I feel his ideas about individuality very keenly. So would many Muslims, I expect, before circa the 15th century shut down on learning that crushed the dynamic Muslim intellectual tradition in a cold, hard, lump of dogma(See Hodgson, vol 3).

Wasalaam

TMA

Wasalaam

[liu wei]

What about European ideas in the dark age: medieval history?

By force, you might be able to eliminate them but never change their minds.