Description
Book SynopsisShows how the key cultural innovations from Central Asia revolutionized medieval Europe and gave rise to the culture of science in the West. This title traces how the recursive argument method was first developed by Buddhist scholars and was spread by them throughout ancient Central Asia.
Trade Review"[W]arriors of the Cloisters convincingly establishes the Central Asian origins of both the scholastic method and the university."--Choice "To follow Beckwith is an enjoyable journey through many countries, civilizations, cultures and religions. This book is well worth reading for those who are interested in the spread of ideas and the interweaving of cultures, ideas and beliefs."--John Bowman, Middle Way "[T]his is a major work of great significance."--Jeremy Black, European Review of History
Table of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xv Abbreviations and Transcription of Foreign Languages xvii Chapter One Introduction 1 Chapter Two The Recursive Argument Method of Medieval Science 11 Chapter Three From College and Universitas to University 37 Chapter Four Buddhist Central Asian Invention of the Method 50 Chapter Five Islamization in Classical Arabic Central Asia 76 Chapter Six Transmission to Medieval Western Europe 100 Chapter Seven India, Tibet, China, Byzantium, and Other Control Cases 121 Chapter Eight Conclusion 147 Appendix A: On the Latin Translations of Avicenna's Works 167 Appendix B: On Peter of Poitiers 171 Appendix C: The Charter of the College des Dix-huit 186 References 187 Index 199
