Dr. Robert Morrison, Professor of Religion and Middle Eastern and North African Studies at Bowdoin College, shares valuable insights from his book, Merchants of Knowledge: Intellectual Exchange in the Ottoman Empire and Renaissance Europe.

Dr. Morrison examines how multilingual Jewish scholars, such as physician Moses Galeano, operated across Venetian and Ottoman networks to drive genuine, reciprocal intellectual exchange rather than passive transmission. Leveraging commercial family routes, medical expertise, and multilingual skills, these intermediaries transferred scientific concepts, most notably late medieval Islamic astronomical models that underpinned the Copernican revolution, while bringing European medical and astronomical texts to Ottoman courts. Drawing on Venetian archival records alongside Hebrew, Arabic, and Latin manuscripts, the conversation highlights how cross-confessional pragmatism, trade, and shared intellectual curiosity blurred rigid divisions between East and West.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Robert Morrison unpacks key ideas from his book, “Merchants of Knowledge: Intellectual Exchange in the Ottoman Empire and Renaissance Europe.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.