The article looks at the revolutionary shift of visual interpretation as it occurred
in the works of one of the most prominent Arab scientists, Ibn al-Haytham. In his
critique of the visual theories of Euclide and Ptolemy, Ibn al-Haytham developed a
new conception of estimating distance. Distance is no longer calculated
geometrically by the visual faculty, but by the interpretation of signs which are
implicit in the visual field and of which an image is formed. This necessity to
interpret signs gave Ibn al-Haytham's theory an intellectualist and
distinct style and methodology.
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