After a month of research-induced laziness, I am back. Things are hotting up, what with telengana on one side and all this talk about autonomy to J&K on the other.
Its good to be living in the world where there is breaking news everyday...
Its so good to know that you can always find the news you are looking for on the internet ( even if it ain't true)....
It was so good to see Copenhagen collapse as it should have- global warming is a scam....
Merry Christmas ( whatever that means...everyone seems to be saying it)
Ashwin
Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Bertrand Russell on dogma and orthodoxy...
Read and enjoy....
Many orthodox people speak as though it were the
business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather
than of dogmatists to prove them. This is, of course, a
mistake. If I were to suggest that between the Earth and
Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an
elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my
assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is
too small to be revealed even by our most powerful
telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my
assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption
on the part of human reason to doubt it, I
should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however,
the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in
ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday,
and instilled into the minds of children at school,
hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark
of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of
the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor
in an earlier time.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Nice website
Please visit
Offstumped
Good authors, important issues and more importantly an opinion from the 'other' side..
Such nationalist thinking needs promotion in India...
A good break from the incoherent babble that we hear in our 'oh-so-free' media...
Offstumped
Good authors, important issues and more importantly an opinion from the 'other' side..
Such nationalist thinking needs promotion in India...
A good break from the incoherent babble that we hear in our 'oh-so-free' media...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The pillars of civilization...
A short post.....
Civilization is an advanced state of societal development, isn't it? But then the question arises..why do civilizations fall? Does the 'fall' of a civilization imply that the societal development that preceded it has been reduced to ashes?
What puzzles me the most ( and I am puzzled very easily) is the close link between civilization and its three 'pillars'(in my opinion) government, religion and geography. Damage to even one of these pillars has pushed civilizations off cliffs. Is it true that civilizations that are 'invaded' and whose existing political structures are annihilated cannot continue to exist as they did prior to these changes? Has there ever been a case of two civilizations assimilating and forming a new hybrid structure?
Are these even questions worth asking?.... May be my definition of civilization is wrong.
Civilization is an advanced state of societal development, isn't it? But then the question arises..why do civilizations fall? Does the 'fall' of a civilization imply that the societal development that preceded it has been reduced to ashes?
What puzzles me the most ( and I am puzzled very easily) is the close link between civilization and its three 'pillars'(in my opinion) government, religion and geography. Damage to even one of these pillars has pushed civilizations off cliffs. Is it true that civilizations that are 'invaded' and whose existing political structures are annihilated cannot continue to exist as they did prior to these changes? Has there ever been a case of two civilizations assimilating and forming a new hybrid structure?
Are these even questions worth asking?.... May be my definition of civilization is wrong.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Science and religion - part 2
Blogging after a busy week...
To continue from where I left off...
Science and religion are two human ideas that have been in near-perpetual conflict over what they consider to be a disputed domain. This "domain" concerns guidance of human thought.
But the irony is that these two systems operate in or SHOULD operate in mutually exclusive spheres. Science, which seeks to satiate man's inherent inquisitiveness about the things around him. and, religion, which should function as a moral compass and guide man's spiritual quest for inner meaning.
Unfortunately, this hasn't happened and we have been bombarded with hypocrisy, both from the scientific and religious camps. How can the so called saviours of religion condemn the scientists as unethical? Haven't they been the most unethical brigade in the history of mankind? How can the some sections of scientists unfairly slander religion when they know perfectly well that it is out of their sphere of jurisdiction?
Questions that need to be answered...Bright spots do remain and every once in a while we are treated to men who are committed to religion and yet have proved themselves to be scientific geniuses...Georges lemaitre and pascal are two shining examples...
We need more.
To continue from where I left off...
Science and religion are two human ideas that have been in near-perpetual conflict over what they consider to be a disputed domain. This "domain" concerns guidance of human thought.
But the irony is that these two systems operate in or SHOULD operate in mutually exclusive spheres. Science, which seeks to satiate man's inherent inquisitiveness about the things around him. and, religion, which should function as a moral compass and guide man's spiritual quest for inner meaning.
Unfortunately, this hasn't happened and we have been bombarded with hypocrisy, both from the scientific and religious camps. How can the so called saviours of religion condemn the scientists as unethical? Haven't they been the most unethical brigade in the history of mankind? How can the some sections of scientists unfairly slander religion when they know perfectly well that it is out of their sphere of jurisdiction?
Questions that need to be answered...Bright spots do remain and every once in a while we are treated to men who are committed to religion and yet have proved themselves to be scientific geniuses...Georges lemaitre and pascal are two shining examples...
We need more.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Two of man's greatest creations..
If someone were to ask you, what do you think are greatest creations of man? What would you answer?
Think about it? Its simple, there are only two creations of note, both of which have shaped our collective destiny in ways that couldn't have been imagined by the pioneers who laid their foundation.
Science and religion. Sadly, both of them have been in perpetual conflict, feeding on each other's insecurities, mounting violent attacks on their respective proponents.
Lets focus on religion first. To say that religion was given to us by some supernatural power is an insult to those minds which constructed this beautiful edifice of human thought. Religion is a human construct. That is nothing to be ashamed of. The amazement that fills the mind when one reads the profound philosophical questions raised by the vedas and the upanishads is unmatched, it is only fair to say that the minds which gave birth to such beautiful works are the prime source of our reverence for the almighty. Why should we be defensive about this? The reality however is different. Sacred texts are held as the ultimate source of wisdom. They are unquestionable, to suggest some rethinking is considered blasphemous. Surely, the men who could put their minds to such profound questions, couldn't have been so narrow minded. We have sadly been very poor inheritors of a great legacy.
Science was borne out of questions of a different kind. It emerged from man's physical interaction with his environment and blossomed into a structure so dynamic and awe-inspiring that human fortunes are closely tied to it. One might argue that science has often been used to kill and maim. But then, when hasn't man killed and maimed his fellow beings? It is only fairly recently that ethical questions have crept into the practice of science. Science, for a major portion of its history was not an end in itself, it was a tool of subjugation and murder. To disagree with this is to fall into the proverbial hole of self-deception. But science has moved on, powered by men who had more questions than answers and the rest is history.
To be continued----Why science and religions are not the best of friends..
Think about it? Its simple, there are only two creations of note, both of which have shaped our collective destiny in ways that couldn't have been imagined by the pioneers who laid their foundation.
Science and religion. Sadly, both of them have been in perpetual conflict, feeding on each other's insecurities, mounting violent attacks on their respective proponents.
Lets focus on religion first. To say that religion was given to us by some supernatural power is an insult to those minds which constructed this beautiful edifice of human thought. Religion is a human construct. That is nothing to be ashamed of. The amazement that fills the mind when one reads the profound philosophical questions raised by the vedas and the upanishads is unmatched, it is only fair to say that the minds which gave birth to such beautiful works are the prime source of our reverence for the almighty. Why should we be defensive about this? The reality however is different. Sacred texts are held as the ultimate source of wisdom. They are unquestionable, to suggest some rethinking is considered blasphemous. Surely, the men who could put their minds to such profound questions, couldn't have been so narrow minded. We have sadly been very poor inheritors of a great legacy.
Science was borne out of questions of a different kind. It emerged from man's physical interaction with his environment and blossomed into a structure so dynamic and awe-inspiring that human fortunes are closely tied to it. One might argue that science has often been used to kill and maim. But then, when hasn't man killed and maimed his fellow beings? It is only fairly recently that ethical questions have crept into the practice of science. Science, for a major portion of its history was not an end in itself, it was a tool of subjugation and murder. To disagree with this is to fall into the proverbial hole of self-deception. But science has moved on, powered by men who had more questions than answers and the rest is history.
To be continued----Why science and religions are not the best of friends..
Headless chickens?
They knew it was coming, yet they didn't care...
Now, the maoist menace has taken a form that is too worrying to be ignored. Even then the response is confused and chaotic. The situation is still not out of control.
The luminaries that make up the intellectual class of india today are smug in their cozy ivory towers. They have romanticized the maoists and are continuing to do so. One cannot expect them to be of much use. Their 'brothers in red' will no doubt appreciate the intellectual support.
The war against the maoists is going to be a long one. It requires the much abused quality of 'political will'. The re-establishment of Indian sovereignty in the red corridor requires some degree of political sacrifice. It also needs close introspection of past negligence and a spine implant.
Lets be very clear, the maoists are a dangerous brand of violent criminals. Viewing them in any other way amounts to legitimizing their nihilistic barbarianism. The indian citizens who live under their shadow deserve better....
Will the government wake up? Unfortunately, the government was never asleep, it has merely internalized the idea of closing its eyes and ears in times of crisis....A national tradition of self-delusion...Hallucination...
Now, the maoist menace has taken a form that is too worrying to be ignored. Even then the response is confused and chaotic. The situation is still not out of control.
The luminaries that make up the intellectual class of india today are smug in their cozy ivory towers. They have romanticized the maoists and are continuing to do so. One cannot expect them to be of much use. Their 'brothers in red' will no doubt appreciate the intellectual support.
The war against the maoists is going to be a long one. It requires the much abused quality of 'political will'. The re-establishment of Indian sovereignty in the red corridor requires some degree of political sacrifice. It also needs close introspection of past negligence and a spine implant.
Lets be very clear, the maoists are a dangerous brand of violent criminals. Viewing them in any other way amounts to legitimizing their nihilistic barbarianism. The indian citizens who live under their shadow deserve better....
Will the government wake up? Unfortunately, the government was never asleep, it has merely internalized the idea of closing its eyes and ears in times of crisis....A national tradition of self-delusion...Hallucination...
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