shawn1122
@shawn1122@sh.itjust.works
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 2 days ago:
This is cited from 2012 according to Wikipedia. Archived versions can be accessed in the citations.
en.wikipedia.org/…/University_of_al-Qarawiyyin
This article from BBC in 2018 also makes the same mention with no correction:
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
Interesting that googling would take precedence over UNESCO or Guinness in a science community of all places.
If we want to cite that lack of archaeological evidence makes the story unverifiable, that’s a starting point.
But I’m going to trust actual organizations with institutional standards over googling. That’s just me though. Other readers can draw their own conclusions.
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
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al-Qarawiyyin was started as a mosque-madrasa complex.
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Science and spirituality were inexfricay tied during this era. As an example, Dharmic concepts of sunya led to the conceptualization of zero and its use in mathematical operations which is foundational to many subsequent advancements and necessary to our communication through this platform.
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Part of what sets al-Qarawiyyin apart is that it offered degrees or certificates of scholarly achievement before other institutions.
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This is why UNESCO’s World Heritage description of the Fez Medina explicitly calls al‑Qarawiyyin “the oldest university in the world,” and the Guinness entry lists it as the “oldest existing, continually operating higher‑learning institution”.
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- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
Is it possible they did hear and it was not written down?
Or it was written down and someone had reason to destroy the evidence? Perhaps patriarchal orthodoxy did not like the idea of a woman being credited with this accomplishment.
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
I wonder why UNESCO and Guinness do not recognize those Christian monasteries then. Perhaps they did not confer degrees or certificates of scholarly competence (ijazahs) the way that al-Qarawiyyin does.
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
What if the truth can’t be known as Ibn Abi Zar only wrote on this 500 years later and archaeological evidence is not definitive but the story has inspired countless young women in the Islamic world to pursue higher learning?
If an unverifiable story accomplishes the outcome of improving the visibility of women in science and higher education in general, how should we judge that? Would only 100% verifiable truth still take all precedence?
Finally, we have to ask why did this story (if it really is just a story) capture so many imaginations? What cultural current at the time made this gain popularity? Was there a thirst for women to be seen in this light that he was looking to quench?
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
Difficult to verify does not mean untrue.
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
Al-Qarawiyyin is recognized by UNESCO and Guinness as the world’s oldest running university.
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
Al-Qarawayyin is recognized by UNESCO and Guinness as the world’s oldest running university.
- Comment on It's always been women in STEM. 3 days ago:
It was common for religious institutions to also be places of higher learning during this era.
The Nalanda Mahavihara (Buddhist grand monastery) is regarded as world’s oldest residential university. It is in present day India, though not operating today. Scholars such as Xuanzang (known as far Mokṣadeva in Sanskrit) travelled from China (in his case Luoyang) to Nalanda for his studies and returned with thousands of sutras. It was knowledge transfer through this university during the Tang dynasty that brought the number system we use (it’s original form created by Bhramagupta) today to China.
- Comment on Is it gay to have pleasurable sex with your wife? 4 days ago:
I think they just romanticize Western antiquity which very much saw sex as a manifestation of power and control rather than an expression of an intimate connection.
- Comment on Is it gay to have pleasurable sex with your wife? 4 days ago:
Damn didn’t know Lemmy drafted Aristotle. Another win for the Fediverse.
- Comment on DEI4All 1 week ago:
DEI isn’t a hiring quota. That’s a widely held misconception. It’s purpose identify hidden biases and expanding oppurtunity. Employers may run outreach or mentorship programs, and set realistic goals to give under‑represented folks get better access to hiring consideration, while still selecting based on merit.
- Comment on I'm coming for you 1 week ago:
Wheres the paneer though?
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 2 weeks ago:
When theres 195 countries and they only male up 4% of the global population? Yes.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 2 weeks ago:
The US is small on a global scale but certainly big enough to destroy the world.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 2 weeks ago:
The US certainly punches above its weight economically and militaristically. But its population is still a fraction of the global population and while it has wealth and lots of weapons, the rest of the world absolutely does have a say in how important we let it be.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 2 weeks ago:
The US was already mildly disliked for that general civilian arrogance but most Canadians overlooked it say 15 to 20 years ago. Now when American arrogance is recognized, its seen as unequivocally contentious vs. being harmlessly obnoxious.
I’ve met several Americans that seemed to think the financial might of Wall St or the sacred reverence with which they hold their constitution somehow made their existence more meaningful, fulfilling or even valid. They had the genuine belief that everyone wanted to be in their position even though their specific material circumstances were often worse and their priorities were warped in many ways.
From a Canadian perspective I might have put my hand on their shoulder and said “Cool”. Now I’d put my hand on their shoulder and say “You’re stupid” which is many ways more grace than some deserve.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 2 weeks ago:
It will take the US decades to rebuild trust. Its more likely the country decays some sort of hypercapitalist modern flavored feudalism with water slaves dying in the streets before other countries put long term trust in the US again.
- Comment on Why isn't the rest of the world doing anything about the USA? 2 weeks ago:
Its not just the Western world.
America defined the new world order after world war 2.
They accrued 75% of the worlds golds reserves selling weapons to allies during WW2.
This allowed them to peg the dollar to gold under the Breton Woods system, allowing their currency to become the global reserve currency.
The rest is history.
- Comment on These are the types of Whatsapp Channels Indians get recommended 2 weeks ago:
Not formally criminalized but socially stigmatized Im sure.
But I’m sure theres a Hrithik Roshan jerk off channel somewhere on there too, dont worry.
- Comment on Get over yourself 3 weeks ago:
Also Shampoo:
Shampoo entered Europe in the mid‑18th century when Sake Dean Mahomed, an Indian entrepreneur, opened “shampooing” baths in Brighton, England; his establishments popularised the liquid, oil‑massaging treatment that resembled today’s shampoo. Before that, Europeans did not use a dedicated cleansing product. Hair was typically rinsed with water mixed with vinegar, ash or herbs, and many households relied on egg‑yolk washes (often beaten with warm water) as a gentle cleanser and conditionerbeachwaveperm.com. These rudimentary methods kept hair relatively clean but left residues that could weigh the hair down, especially under the heavy wigs fashionable from the late‑16th century onward. Wigs offered a practical solution: they protected the scalp from lice, reduced the need for frequent washing, and allowed wearers to maintain a tidy appearance despite the limited cleaning agents available.
- Comment on Newsom Says He Will Consider a 2028 Presidential Run After the Midterms 3 weeks ago:
He beats out AOC at DNC through the usual shenanigans and asks her to be his VP (she tells him to fuck off) and then the dems lose in a “shocker” in the general election, with ventilator Trump (enhanced with AI) officially making the US a theocracy.
- Comment on Yum 3 weeks ago:
Syphilis?
- Comment on I don't think so 4 weeks ago:
Is white a unifying culture in anyway? Wouldn’t calling it European make more sense?
- Comment on Why do so many boomers and even some gen x believe so peristently that if you dressup and show up in person anywhere you will get whatever you went there for? 4 weeks ago:
I’m pretty sure racism never existed in America, especially not in the Boomer era. They are a well known for being an open minded and accepting generation.
- Comment on Why do so many boomers and even some gen x believe so peristently that if you dressup and show up in person anywhere you will get whatever you went there for? 4 weeks ago:
I mean, that’s just smart, wearing Western formalwear to convince white Westerners that you’re human.
I think the point does stand that this advice needs to be considered in the racially privileged or disenfranchised context Boomers lived in.
- Comment on Why do so many boomers and even some gen x believe so peristently that if you dressup and show up in person anywhere you will get whatever you went there for? 4 weeks ago:
This is truth. Immigrant and minority boomers/Gen X didn’t have it this easy. They were dodging racists like landmines and racist hiring practices were way less frowned upon back then.
- Comment on Why do so many boomers and even some gen x believe so peristently that if you dressup and show up in person anywhere you will get whatever you went there for? 4 weeks ago:
You’re getting down votes but I remember very specifically a trope on Reddit more than 15 years ago was that as a dude you could dress up in a suit and show up with a clipboard and infiltrate any professional environment. I think it’s a throw back to the movie Catch me if you can. I never saw it myself but it certainly captured some imaginations.
Anyways, I remember thinking maybe if you’re a middle class or better off white dude this could work and some people went as far as to actually share that sentiment and they were received as positively as you are right now.
- Comment on Anon checks up on a childhood friend 4 weeks ago:
Essentially nothing here sounds like main character. This could be the most miserable mofo in the world. Grass is always greener…