For many years, the prevailing historical narrative held that the Graeco-Arabic translation movement of the eighth to tenth centuries was born out of utilitarian necessity, driven by the Abbasid empire's need for practical administrative texts. However, recent revisionist scholars have challenged this view, arguing instead that the movement was fundamentally ideological. According to these revisionists, Abbasid caliphs sponsored translations of Greek philosophy to appropriate ancient Hellenic wisdom, thereby legitimizing their rule and intellectually undermining the rival Byzantine Empire. While this ideological framework convincingly explains the imperial sponsorship of the movement, it overlooks the micro-level social dynamics that sustained it. The sheer volume of translated works cannot be fully accounted for without recognizing the intense competition for patronage among the translators themselves, who translated increasingly esoteric treatises to secure social prestige.
Evaluate the following statement as true or false based on the passage:
The revisionist scholars mentioned in the passage argue that the sheer volume of translated works was driven primarily by the translators' competition for social prestige and patronage.
Answer: Answer