The Precedent

1200 years ago, the caliph of Islam established the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. No doubt, as the story of this institution gets told, it takes on a fantasy-like air. But taking the human flaws into account, it was truly a high moment for human experience.

The House of Wisdom was part library, part university, part colloquium ... it was a meeting place for all scholars of the the vast Muslim Empire. Al Ma'mun (the caliph) was motivated by the Qur'an's principle that to know the creation is to know the Creator. Hence, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, linguistics -- all of it was a window into the nature of God. Such insights could (and do) come from all sorts of religious settings. Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians all added to the intellectual moment. Al Ma'mun was clear: he was far more interested in unfolding the truth of the creation than in differing claims to "right."

The House of Wisdom didn't last long. Political in-fighting was, perhaps, inevitable in such a large empire. After al Ma'mun''s death, the attentions turned to the normal human endeavors of politics and conflict. There is today no physical remains of the vast holdings of the library -- or even the buildings themselves. But the memory ... the memory is still there.

Today, we need a new House of Wisdom. It could start large -- some great economic power could make the commitment. But it could also start small. A half-dozen people here. Another eight there. Someone must insist that all truth is truth, regardless of the religion that wants to claim it as their own. We must demand that the intellectual walls that religions put up between them must come down.

We want engagement.