Ibn Al-Haytham - the First Scientist (Father of Modern Optics)

Excerpt on Ibn Al-Haytham, the first Scientist from Prof. Asad Zaman Blog:

"Mathematics, especially the geometry of Euclid, was the first discipline of knowledge established by Greek Philosophers. This was based on taking intuitive certainties as axioms, and then deducing more complex truths by using logical deductions. This is called the axiomatic-deductive methodology. When the Greeks turned to the natural sciences, they attempted to use the same methodology. Unfortunately, this methodology does not work well in this case. For centuries, philosophers were divided on the issue of whether light emanates from eyes to strike the object, or whether light comes from the object to the eye. There were axiomatic-deductive demonstrations for both positions. Ibnul Haytham was the first to use empirical methods to resolve this controversy, laying the basis for the scientific method. It is worth discussing his contribution in detail, because the concept of a “MODEL” emerges from his study. This concept is central to understanding the problems with current foundations of the social sciences. See “Models & Reality” for further discussion on this point."