Question

the history of the scientific method
scholar biography ideas
ibn al - haytham islamic golden age, egypt, 965 - 1040 c.e. experimental methods including controlled testing
al - biruni islamic golden age, central asia, 973 - 1050 c.e. experimental methods
avicenna islamic golden age, central asia, 980 - 1037 c.e. observational study
roger bacon renaissance, england, 1220 - 1292 c.e. cycle of observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and independent verification
rené descartes enlightenment, france, 1596 - 1650 c.e. wrote discourse in 1637, the first full outline of the modern scientific method
which of the following is the best conclusion that can be drawn from the table?
a. european enlightenment thinkers could not have known about the work of islamic scholars.
b. some ideas of the western enlightenment were also developed by earlier islamic scholars.
c. the scientific ideas of the enlightenment in europe were built entirely on islamic thought.
d. descartes based most of the theories in discourse on the work of earlier islamic scholars.

Explanation:

The table shows Islamic scholars from the Islamic Golden Age had ideas related to scientific methods like experimental and observational studies. Later, European scholars during the Renaissance and Enlightenment also had ideas about the scientific method. This indicates that some ideas of the western Enlightenment were also developed by earlier Islamic scholars. Option A is incorrect as there's no evidence to suggest European Enlightenment thinkers couldn't know about Islamic scholars' work. Option C is wrong as the Enlightenment ideas were not entirely built on Islamic thought. Option D is an over - statement as there's no indication Descartes based most of his theories on Islamic scholars.

Answer:

B. Some ideas of the western Enlightenment were also developed by earlier Islamic scholars.