I fear I do not recognise the intellectual landscape of this thread.  The
secondary texts I read when young (Russell, Popper, Koestler) made such as
Democritus the champions of Greek science.  Plato and Aristotle being
responsible for derailing the enterprise, and setting back Western advances
in science for two thousand years.  Primary text I have read since all seem
to corroborate that view.

Claims of a decline in intellectual standards in Islam after 1000 have to
contend with the achievements and contemporary recognition of such as Ibn
Khaldun (1332-1406), surely one of the world’s greatest writers on the
fundamentals of political economy?  Khaldun had of course read Aristotle,
but seems to scoff at him, preferring the clearer defence of economic
justice found in Ancient Persian texts.

Plato wanted the books of Democritus burned (and it seems the early Church
fathers did in fact burn them all).  The great 10th century Moslem
scientist, from central Asia, al-Biruni, was held in internal exile by the
bigoted Mahmud of Ghazni, in much the way that Brezhnev held Sakharov in
internal exile, or McCathyites targeted Russell and Einstein.

The only general pattern I would defend is one of political authorities
everywhere defending political ideologies by persecuting the scientifically
minded.

Rob Tye, York UK