Where is the Indian Scientific Community when you need them the most?
The saddest part of the current episode of the controversial Ram Sethu project in which religious superstitions won over rationale is the absolute silence from scientific community of
Many people just brush this episode saying it is one of ‘those religious issues’. It is not. The present episode is a perfect example of the challenges we are facing as a nation on the questions of which direction this country is headed.
It is not that I like to trounce down religion for the sake of trouncing it. I am not ridiculing it as long as it is not affecting the mainstream of society. I do not like to discuss science and religion with religious people. I do not like to get into debates just to quench my intellectual curiosity. I am quite OK with religious people practicing their religion while the state is doing its job of running the state. However, when a conflict arises, such as this, where in a religious idea challenges the running of the state, what do we do? The outcome of such conflicts set a precedent for the future outcomes and will decide the direction this country is going to take.
What should one do if in near future some weird interpretation of Koran asks for stopping all rocket launches citing religious books and some mythological documents as evidences?
You set one precedent, and you have to succumb to other religious antics! After a spate of such events, you get
This is to all those scientists hiding behind those curtains, ‘You are scientist ONLY because long ago certain scientific communities in faraway lands fought their battles against superstition, blind belief, witchcraft, religious orthodoxy, etc. If those scientists hid the way you are hiding now, then you wouldn’t be scientists in the first place.’ (And I wouldn’t be an engineer!)
Those faraway lands have created nations striking a balance between state and the chu
Unfortunately, majority of scientists of
Scientific community of the West waged a four hundred years battle to bring rationality into this world. With it came equal rights to woman, rights to different ethnicities, justice to all, etc. And in this fight some people had to give up their lives to defend a stance of letting rationality prevail over blind belief in matters of universal concepts. The West has come to a strike a balance between religion and science after prolonged struggles.
My fight is not against individuals and not against religion. I am not trying to change opinions here. I am just looking for some rational minds out there hoping that we still continue to maintain a modicum of rational thought in this country. Hoping we will be able to strike a balance in this country. I am a bit disappointed! Whenever a conflict arises- such as this, I expect scientific community to speak up. When no such voice is found, people like us have to speak up!
In order to have a progressive world we need to pick our battles carefully.
I am not sure what is holding the scientific community back? What are they waiting for? The day when
Some Indian scientists believe they should not step in till it is too late when they see actual detriment to society and only when that detriment is tangible.
We should realize that each of these nation-wide conflicts set a precedent on the highest level. All these mega events will encourage many radical elements to impose their blind belief onto the mainstream society. Yesterday, some vandals set fire to a library because it housed a book which had critical remarks on Ram. That’s how things start. Fascism started out of innocuous theories of aggrandizing one’s culture. Fascism was a culmination of many such small events.
The same Indian lady scientist writes:
You take chronology, history and documented facts and evidence and fight faith, you will always find people who will be genuinely hurt and upset.
So, shouldn’t we present facts and evidences in a court of law to counter the faith’s petition citing mythology as evidence? Aren’t scientists getting a bit pusillanimous here? Today it is about Ram Sethu, tomorrow it is about banning a book, and then it is about stopping all genetic engineering, and then it is about establishing superiority of races through such apocryphal evidences! Didn’t we already witness this trend in our history in a different part of the world?
This scientist asks:
Do we really need to offend religious sentiment by questioning mythology?
I agree that there is no need to question mythology. We continue to have Santa Claus, we continue to have Frankenstein, Superman, Spiderman and Harry Potter. We continue to have fables and stories. But imagine a petition in court asking everyone to make big chimneys so that Santa Claus can come into each home? That’s when this mythology comes back to you as blind belief and is knocking on your door!
What should we do when that mythology starts having an influence on the state and its functions?
What do we do if tomorrow some Muslims provide some weird interpretations to stop all scientific activities in
Where does one draw the line? How long will the scientific community of