What an article, mixing fiction with real crime. If human civilization services a few hundred years more, people like Mr. Raju will be analysing tge lives of Marvel heroes!!!
An excellent article. The fact is that present Hinduism didn’t evolve solely from Vedic philosophy. Lokayata was a very popular non-Vedic branch of philosophy which adhered to Materialism and finds mention in Chanakya’s Arthashastra. Strangely it’s main proponent and founder was known as Brihaspati- not the guru of the Devas. Readers are advised to read a famous book “Lokayata- a study in ancient Indian Materialism “ by Debiprasad Chtopadhyaya- a Marxist thinker and writer.
Relying on Shashi Tharoor’s book “An Era of Darkness” I will summarise this.
1. In 1730 Aurangzeb had an income of 530 mill $. This is net of taxes less expenses, capital and revenue.
2. In 1750 with British consolidation of hold over India, our GDP was 25% of global.
3. The Brits did little expense on school education, higher education, institution of research, health, and infrastructure. They destroyed our commerce by excessive duties and discrimination. Our handmade textiles were taxed, but Brit textiles from our cotton were not, our steel was taxed, but not the import.
4. At 25% of global GDP, why couldn’t we buy the new technology? The Brits didn’t allow.
5. Our agriculture, was overtaxed, under bought to transfer funds to Britain.
6. The dark ages for India were under Brit rule 1750 to 1947, when our share of global GDP shrunk from 25% to 3.
7. Now you can laugh, cause in 47 Brit share had risen to near 8%, India at 3%, ints near reversed in 2019 ???
We might have had scientific temperament in history, even if you were the first one to have scientific temperament. it doesn’t make a difference today because we are completely and utterly unscientific. Today we are far more unscientific than we were 5 years ago.
In ancient India there was always scope and encouragement for debates and discourses. Lot of proof regarding this is available now also. Many scientific discoveries had happened in India, we can relate with Ayurveda and Yoga. These discoveries stand strong in the modern sceintific tests also. The medical science even ratified it again and again. These subtle discoveries can’t be just a stroke of luck to find, these are continuing efforts and toiling through centuries with scientific approach.
As a matter, you should believe in guru, it was never blind Faith. If you study there are lot of evidences suggesting -how you should identify a true guru and to be cautious about hypocrites(dhongis). It was belief that is necessary for any learning to take place, but once you find a true guru.
Once again, using the analogy of manufacturing…imagine 100 years from now when everything in America is ‘Made in China’ and someone questions “did manufacturing ever happen in America?” If there are written records, the question will be easily answered. If no records are there (though unlikely), skeptics would raise doubts. Scientific temper on a societal and institution levels only emerged after renaissance in Europe, and grew when systematic investment was made to science by governments, otherwise science was always done on an individual level. Science people were mavericks in most societies unless some lucky ones got attention from their head of the state. This same logic could be applicable to India; the lack of written records and lack of state investment into scientific endeavour may have been responsible for lack of institutional approach to science. Therefore, to say that scientific temper didn’t exist in India would be wrong.
How can you say this?
It’s because of foreign attacks India suffered the demolition , lakhs of similar books are destroyed or fired up by invaders. Same fate was for Indians.
Actually India’s scientific temper was destroyed by Nehru who foisted Pseudo-Science by misusing his power and status as Prime Minister. Nehru ki dushtata anant hai.
If the above mentioned nonsense is scientific temper and empirical method then we are the most advanced and most scientific tempered civilization on earth, wonder where it all went, might be because of the Mughals and british we lost all this amazing wealth and now trying to catch up. We should go back to all this ancient wealth and beat out the west with our antique wisdom and guidance back to our langotti days. We will be the greatest nation soon.
I do not know how the author got in this conclusion. Scientific thought is completely against the Indian tradition and culture which is always centred around a non materialistic and mysterious world. What is recommended in ancient Indian text is to follow some authority like a guru etc., and do not question. The materialistic words which is the subject matter of modern science is considered ‘maya’ or ‘illusion’.
Correction on my comment: I meant Carl Sagan and not Issac Asimov. For instance, Carl Sagan says “The Hindu religion is the only one of the world’s great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion years long. Longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun and about half the time since the Big Bang.” There are similar statements made by other Western science scholars in their books.
Some of the ignorant skeptics (first two comments) will produce flimsy arguments without giving reference to any literature. The issue being discussed here are (1) of using experiment and observation as source of evidence to prove or reject hypothesis, just like many Western scientists have been doing from Galileo onwards; (2) using thought experiments to arrive at a theory or estimate of reality, just like Einstein, Bohr and many theoretical physicists did and still do.
Please refer to books by Isaac Asimov and many more that refer to theoretical propositions offered in Ancient India. The question here is not whether technology resulted from experimentation and how accurate the figures were, but whether scientific temperament existed. The problem with Aryan and Dravidian civilisations has always been keeping proper written records and that gives rise to these hollow arguments that ancient India was steeped in pseudoscience.
You guys will be surprised to see articles on medicinal uses of cows urine. Go to Google Scholar, And type cow urine . It has been proven to be antimicrobial. We have named it as mythology, because there are incoherent bizzare things. Science is for better life, if we feel that ‘ inventions’ have been outside this country, then they wouldn’t colonise this place!!
999 out of 1000 things we use in our daily life has been invented or discovered outside India. Is the time not ripe for us to stop celebrating pseudoscience and put our energies into building a scientific temperament among our youth?
I thought the print is a trustworthy online news portal. I had my suspicion for a few weeks now… after reading some of your articles. But now it is confirmed. CK Raju is a notorious proponent of pseudoscience and a self proclaimed polymath who propagates nationalistic pseudoscience with zero proof. Now that the print has given a platform for people like him… I see where this news portal is going. Bye bye print!
Can you please point out one specific instance of pseudoscience in this article? All of the claims made in this article are backed up by citations to physical documented evidence.
Pseudoscience! there are six main pramanas ( ways of knowing) in hindu philosophy,
Anumana ( inference)
Arthapatti ( postulation)
Prataskshya ( empirical knowledge)
Sabda ( testimony)
Anupalabadhi ( negative proof)
Upamana ( analogy / comparison)
Are these all pseudoscience, they is well documented evidence of these in ancient texts . Does scientific temper not involve using these? May be you should use some evidence for your statement rather than making baseless claims.
Thanks for this wonderful insight. Will surely benefit the ignorants amongst us. It certainly adds to my knowledge.
I believe stories of mahabharata which is accepted as mythology should stay away from a writeup about scientific temper.
He has given proofs, but give the proof of Euclid.
Interestingly mythology has been quoted in an article that should be discussing scientific temper. Very interesting and amusing. Pardon me but i see a classic case of incoherence.
Can you please point out as to what exactly is this ‘mythology’ you are referring to? Every claim made in this article is based on substantial, documented evidence. Point out one instance of any claim being drawn from mythology, or else you will have to admit that you are a liar.
Mahabharata is a mythology and i believe it should stay away from all blog thats about scientific temper.
What an article, mixing fiction with real crime. If human civilization services a few hundred years more, people like Mr. Raju will be analysing tge lives of Marvel heroes!!!
An excellent article. The fact is that present Hinduism didn’t evolve solely from Vedic philosophy. Lokayata was a very popular non-Vedic branch of philosophy which adhered to Materialism and finds mention in Chanakya’s Arthashastra. Strangely it’s main proponent and founder was known as Brihaspati- not the guru of the Devas. Readers are advised to read a famous book “Lokayata- a study in ancient Indian Materialism “ by Debiprasad Chtopadhyaya- a Marxist thinker and writer.
Relying on Shashi Tharoor’s book “An Era of Darkness” I will summarise this.
1. In 1730 Aurangzeb had an income of 530 mill $. This is net of taxes less expenses, capital and revenue.
2. In 1750 with British consolidation of hold over India, our GDP was 25% of global.
3. The Brits did little expense on school education, higher education, institution of research, health, and infrastructure. They destroyed our commerce by excessive duties and discrimination. Our handmade textiles were taxed, but Brit textiles from our cotton were not, our steel was taxed, but not the import.
4. At 25% of global GDP, why couldn’t we buy the new technology? The Brits didn’t allow.
5. Our agriculture, was overtaxed, under bought to transfer funds to Britain.
6. The dark ages for India were under Brit rule 1750 to 1947, when our share of global GDP shrunk from 25% to 3.
7. Now you can laugh, cause in 47 Brit share had risen to near 8%, India at 3%, ints near reversed in 2019 ???
We might have had scientific temperament in history, even if you were the first one to have scientific temperament. it doesn’t make a difference today because we are completely and utterly unscientific. Today we are far more unscientific than we were 5 years ago.
Want more writtings like this on Indian scientific history.
In ancient India there was always scope and encouragement for debates and discourses. Lot of proof regarding this is available now also. Many scientific discoveries had happened in India, we can relate with Ayurveda and Yoga. These discoveries stand strong in the modern sceintific tests also. The medical science even ratified it again and again. These subtle discoveries can’t be just a stroke of luck to find, these are continuing efforts and toiling through centuries with scientific approach.
As a matter, you should believe in guru, it was never blind Faith. If you study there are lot of evidences suggesting -how you should identify a true guru and to be cautious about hypocrites(dhongis). It was belief that is necessary for any learning to take place, but once you find a true guru.
Once again, using the analogy of manufacturing…imagine 100 years from now when everything in America is ‘Made in China’ and someone questions “did manufacturing ever happen in America?” If there are written records, the question will be easily answered. If no records are there (though unlikely), skeptics would raise doubts. Scientific temper on a societal and institution levels only emerged after renaissance in Europe, and grew when systematic investment was made to science by governments, otherwise science was always done on an individual level. Science people were mavericks in most societies unless some lucky ones got attention from their head of the state. This same logic could be applicable to India; the lack of written records and lack of state investment into scientific endeavour may have been responsible for lack of institutional approach to science. Therefore, to say that scientific temper didn’t exist in India would be wrong.
I wouldn’t like to even comment on this balderdash… The Print should get a life or announce that it has found Modi wave…
And if – a cosmos sized if -scientific thinking was there amongst ancient Indians are their descendants idiots who couldnt build upon…
How can you say this?
It’s because of foreign attacks India suffered the demolition , lakhs of similar books are destroyed or fired up by invaders. Same fate was for Indians.
Actually India’s scientific temper was destroyed by Nehru who foisted Pseudo-Science by misusing his power and status as Prime Minister. Nehru ki dushtata anant hai.
If the above mentioned nonsense is scientific temper and empirical method then we are the most advanced and most scientific tempered civilization on earth, wonder where it all went, might be because of the Mughals and british we lost all this amazing wealth and now trying to catch up. We should go back to all this ancient wealth and beat out the west with our antique wisdom and guidance back to our langotti days. We will be the greatest nation soon.
I do not know how the author got in this conclusion. Scientific thought is completely against the Indian tradition and culture which is always centred around a non materialistic and mysterious world. What is recommended in ancient Indian text is to follow some authority like a guru etc., and do not question. The materialistic words which is the subject matter of modern science is considered ‘maya’ or ‘illusion’.
Correction on my comment: I meant Carl Sagan and not Issac Asimov. For instance, Carl Sagan says “The Hindu religion is the only one of the world’s great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion years long. Longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun and about half the time since the Big Bang.” There are similar statements made by other Western science scholars in their books.
Some of the ignorant skeptics (first two comments) will produce flimsy arguments without giving reference to any literature. The issue being discussed here are (1) of using experiment and observation as source of evidence to prove or reject hypothesis, just like many Western scientists have been doing from Galileo onwards; (2) using thought experiments to arrive at a theory or estimate of reality, just like Einstein, Bohr and many theoretical physicists did and still do.
Please refer to books by Isaac Asimov and many more that refer to theoretical propositions offered in Ancient India. The question here is not whether technology resulted from experimentation and how accurate the figures were, but whether scientific temperament existed. The problem with Aryan and Dravidian civilisations has always been keeping proper written records and that gives rise to these hollow arguments that ancient India was steeped in pseudoscience.
You guys will be surprised to see articles on medicinal uses of cows urine. Go to Google Scholar, And type cow urine . It has been proven to be antimicrobial. We have named it as mythology, because there are incoherent bizzare things. Science is for better life, if we feel that ‘ inventions’ have been outside this country, then they wouldn’t colonise this place!!
999 out of 1000 things we use in our daily life has been invented or discovered outside India. Is the time not ripe for us to stop celebrating pseudoscience and put our energies into building a scientific temperament among our youth?
I thought the print is a trustworthy online news portal. I had my suspicion for a few weeks now… after reading some of your articles. But now it is confirmed. CK Raju is a notorious proponent of pseudoscience and a self proclaimed polymath who propagates nationalistic pseudoscience with zero proof. Now that the print has given a platform for people like him… I see where this news portal is going. Bye bye print!
Can you please point out one specific instance of pseudoscience in this article? All of the claims made in this article are backed up by citations to physical documented evidence.
Pseudoscience! there are six main pramanas ( ways of knowing) in hindu philosophy,
Anumana ( inference)
Arthapatti ( postulation)
Prataskshya ( empirical knowledge)
Sabda ( testimony)
Anupalabadhi ( negative proof)
Upamana ( analogy / comparison)
Are these all pseudoscience, they is well documented evidence of these in ancient texts . Does scientific temper not involve using these? May be you should use some evidence for your statement rather than making baseless claims.
Thanks for this wonderful insight. Will surely benefit the ignorants amongst us. It certainly adds to my knowledge.
I believe stories of mahabharata which is accepted as mythology should stay away from a writeup about scientific temper.
He has given proofs, but give the proof of Euclid.
Interestingly mythology has been quoted in an article that should be discussing scientific temper. Very interesting and amusing. Pardon me but i see a classic case of incoherence.
Can you please point out as to what exactly is this ‘mythology’ you are referring to? Every claim made in this article is based on substantial, documented evidence. Point out one instance of any claim being drawn from mythology, or else you will have to admit that you are a liar.
Mahabharata is a mythology and i believe it should stay away from all blog thats about scientific temper.