Ibn al-Haytham: The "Madman" Who Invented the Scientific Method
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Show Notes
In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of Ibn al-Haytham (c. 965–1040), a polymath of the Islamic Golden Age known as the "father of modern optics". We trace his journey from Basra to Cairo, where he famously feigned madness to escape the wrath of Caliph Al-Hakim after failing to regulate the flooding of the Nile.
Locked away under house arrest, Ibn al-Haytham wrote his masterpiece, Kitāb al-Manāẓir (Book of Optics). We discuss how he revolutionized science by proving that vision occurs via light entering the eye—overturning centuries of Greek theory—and by providing the first clear description of the camera obscura. Tune in to learn why his rigorous reliance on experimentation and skepticism of established authorities has led many to call him the world's "first true scientist".