The prosperous region was the Islamic Middle East, while an ignorant Europe remained poor. Both regions were religiously governed (historians differ about the role and natures of the religions in this context), but science flourished only in one of them.
那片繁荣的地方是伊斯兰教的中东，而相形之下的就是陷于困顿的无知欧洲。两个地区都处于宗教统治之下（历史学家们对这样背景下宗教的作用和特点意见不一），但科学只在其中的一个地区得以兴旺。当然，现今伊斯兰教的中东和西方的角色发生了逆转。