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If that "Golden Age" includes the destruction of Nalanda[1], then forgive me if I agree with the person you're replying to, it was an incredibly destructive emp

If that "Golden Age" includes the destruction of Nalanda[1], then forgive me if I agree with the person you're replying to, it was an incredibly destructive empire that aggressively expanded and destroyed anything that deemed heretic. As such, it's not exceptional in either sense. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda#Decline_and_destruction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nalanda#Decline_and_destructio... Edit - As I can't reply to stuff like this (it deserved to die) but in case I get anything more like it: > Find me an "empire" that wasn't destructive. You're disingenuous, and likely racist as all hell. Fuck off. I'm making that exact point, all empires are destructive, hence the it's not exceptional in either sense. Thanks to all those who can read and all those who don't go around calling others racists for no good reason.

micmil 6y ago
Find me an "empire" that wasn't destructive. You're disingenuous, and likely racist as all hell. Fuck off.
Alkhwarizmi 6y ago
I think your conflating Far East Asians and Middle East! Learn your geography first before you speak
nemo 6y ago
Acknowledging that virtually every major civilization's Golden Age was accompanied by expansionist military imperialism and was destructive as well as creative is a fine position to take, but were you to take that position honestly then you wouldn't be singling out only one specific civilization to spit venom at. That's why you really are making a racist argument, even if your biases blind you to your racism. edit: "racist" was technically incorrect - bigoted is a more correct term.
- brigandish 6y ago
  An utterly specious response. 1. I'm not singling out anything but the subject. If you want a different response to compare it with, pick a different subject. 2. It's not venomous, and even if it were, it's irrelevant to everything here (quite the feat). You're supposed to show prejudice, venom with reason and/or evidence is not prejudice. 3. Since a) my point was not about a race and b) the subject is not a race, then it's not a racist argument. Far from it. 4. Hence, I'm not a racist. Or maybe I am but you certainly can't ascertain it from your fatuous logic nor anything I've written here. 5. Also hence, and however, you are an apologist. You need to up your game.
  - dang 6y ago
    Please stop doing flamewars on HN. You've done it repeatedly, unfortunately, and it's not what this site is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- dang 6y ago
  Please stop using HN for religious or racial or ideological flamewars. It's not what this site is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
tomjakubowski 6y ago
This thread was at one point about Arabs and the scope of the Islamic Golden Age usually does not include the Turkic people who sacked Nalanda.
- brigandish 6y ago
  Was it me who brought up the Islamic Golden Age? No, thanks for noticing. You might try replying to the person that did bring it up and telling them to stay on topic.
mcv 6y ago
The Arab world, and Arabic history, is not homogenous. Some Muslim nations were very progressive, others were very backwards. Just like non-Muslim nations, really. There was definitely a period when western Europe was very backwards whereas a lot of meaningful and important progress was made in Muslim countries. There have been Islamic empires that were relatively tolerant about differences, and certainly didn't destroy everything they deemed heretic. We have a strong tendency to generalise: everything that's a bit distant from us has to be either one thing of the other thing. We're terrible at nuance, yet it's vital in order to understand history.

micmil 6y ago

Find me an "empire" that wasn't destructive. You're disingenuous, and likely racist as all hell. Fuck off.

Alkhwarizmi 6y ago

I think your conflating Far East Asians and Middle East! Learn your geography first before you speak

nemo 6y ago

Acknowledging that virtually every major civilization's Golden Age was accompanied by expansionist military imperialism and was destructive as well as creative is a fine position to take, but were you to take that position honestly then you wouldn't be singling out only one specific civilization to spit venom at. That's why you really are making a racist argument, even if your biases blind you to your racism. edit: "racist" was technically incorrect - bigoted is a more correct term.

brigandish 6y ago
An utterly specious response. 1. I'm not singling out anything but the subject. If you want a different response to compare it with, pick a different subject. 2. It's not venomous, and even if it were, it's irrelevant to everything here (quite the feat). You're supposed to show prejudice, venom with reason and/or evidence is not prejudice. 3. Since a) my point was not about a race and b) the subject is not a race, then it's not a racist argument. Far from it. 4. Hence, I'm not a racist. Or maybe I am but you certainly can't ascertain it from your fatuous logic nor anything I've written here. 5. Also hence, and however, you are an apologist. You need to up your game.
- dang 6y ago
  Please stop doing flamewars on HN. You've done it repeatedly, unfortunately, and it's not what this site is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
dang 6y ago
Please stop using HN for religious or racial or ideological flamewars. It's not what this site is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

tomjakubowski 6y ago

This thread was at one point about Arabs and the scope of the Islamic Golden Age usually does not include the Turkic people who sacked Nalanda.

brigandish 6y ago
Was it me who brought up the Islamic Golden Age? No, thanks for noticing. You might try replying to the person that did bring it up and telling them to stay on topic.

mcv 6y ago

The Arab world, and Arabic history, is not homogenous. Some Muslim nations were very progressive, others were very backwards. Just like non-Muslim nations, really. There was definitely a period when western Europe was very backwards whereas a lot of meaningful and important progress was made in Muslim countries. There have been Islamic empires that were relatively tolerant about differences, and certainly didn't destroy everything they deemed heretic. We have a strong tendency to generalise: everything that's a bit distant from us has to be either one thing of the other thing. We're terrible at nuance, yet it's vital in order to understand history.