Kaygı. Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Felsefe Dergisi

Öz

Although the Middle Ages is often referred to as a long period of darkness in scientific, cultural, and philosophical terms, it can be said that in the past century, through the research of thinkers such as Duhem, Bernal, Gilson, Needham, Eco, this darkness has been somewhat illuminated. The two main reasons for labeling this era as “dark” are the absence of enlightenment during this period, and the second reason may be that people’s eyes had not yet adapted to this darkness. The modern scientific paradigm seems to be a major contributor to the second reason. This paradigm’s acceptance of the entire history of science as a process of evolution toward modern science and its emphasis on criteria such as rationality, theorization, causality, secularism, and reliance on experimentation and observation have played a significant role in labeling the Middle Ages as “dark”. The possibility of evaluating all the work done over a thousand years in a wide geographic area independently of this paradigm may play a role in changing perceptions about the Middle Ages. One way to do this is to determine whether all the cultures in Europe, which was the center of the Middle Ages, went through the same process during this period. This study discusses Spain’s contributions to the history of science in the Middle Ages, especially its impact in the field of astronomy. To do this, the historical process of Spain is first examined, and a general overview of the history of astronomy is provided. Then, the general characteristics of Spain during the Middle Ages are summarized, and the reasons for the interest in science, especially astronomy, in Spain before the transition to what we call modern science are explored. Following that, the influence of Muslim and Jewish scientists in the process leading to the scientific revolution is discussed, and the transition to modern science in Spain is examined.