Dr. C.K. Raju | Nyaya-Vaisesika, Sankhya-Yoga, Advait Vedant, Buddhism, Jainism, Lokayata and Pratyaksh Pramana

[Megh Kalyanasundaram]

Do Indians have a scientific temper? Ancient texts reveal we did, way before the West

[Irene Galstian]

At best a double-edged sword, that. The article falls under the rubric of 'we too'. Along with the seemingly positive statements, it communicates an inferiority in its need to be legitimated by science as we know it today. It also seems unaware that the very essence of this science is due to be re-examined. In light of this, the 'we too' sentiment comes across as a backhanded compliment. The strength of India is the Vedas, which are living knowledge unlike anything else human beings managed to preserve from other civilisations so far. 

Irene

[Yogananda CS]

Namaste,

Absolutely!

regards......yoga

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[Megh Kalyanasundaram]

"Clear proof of the experimental method is found in India, from 2,000 years before Bacon, but never acknowledged by the votaries of scientific temper, who ignore the evidence, and just peddle the myth of the Western origin of science.": Anyone disagrees? Or has anyone published this particular point before? Different strokes, different folks; to each their own. Emerging critiques of science itself notwithstanding, as a student of  the Indian education system during my formative years, I cannot thank enough, scholars like Dr. Raju who have contributed substantively to the decolonisation enterprise (from an Indic point of view). What also resonates, personally with me at least, is foregrounding what different schools shared in common (for ex., the point on Pratyaksh Pramana). I, personally, am happy to read work that also brings forth "commonalities" rather than focusing only on the "differences", or doing that for the most part. 

Megh

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[Yogananda CS]

Namaste Megh,

Am not sure if I am answering some of the statements or not - this is a hazy domain. The theme I have in mind is about existence of knowledge about certain concepts / products / ..  versus using them to one's `benefit' - word used in a broad sense. A baby example - earth being a globe, not flat. When did this attain significance and, so people thought it an important piece of information to be taught (and therefore tried to find the person who realised it first)? I would say, when humans tried to find a different route to India / China other than the silk route which had become difficult because of increasing robberies. So someone dared and tried going the other way, rough seas, and succeeded in discovering a sea route. At that point of time the person who had heard about earth being a globe and dared to use it gets the first priority of the idea, later he himself may say, his teachers told him, who in turn may pass it backwards, . . . 

regards...yoga

On Tue, Mar 10, 2020 at 4:13 PM Megh Kalyanasundaram <kalyanasun...@gmail.com> wrote:

"Clear proof of the experimental method is found in India, from 2,000 years before Bacon, but never acknowledged by the votaries of scientific temper, who ignore the evidence, and just peddle the myth of the Western origin of science.": Anyone disagrees? Or has anyone published this particular point before? Different strokes, different folks; to each their own. Emerging critiques of science itself notwithstanding, as a student of  the Indian education student during my formative years, I cannot thank enough, scholars like Dr. Raju who have contributed substantively to the decolonisation enterprise (from an Indic point of view). What also resonates, personally with me, is foregrounding what different schools shared in common (for ex., the point on Pratyaksh Pramana). I, personally, am happy to read also work that brings forth "commonalities" rather than focusing only on the "differences" or doing that for the most part. 

Megh

On Tue, Mar 10, 2020 at 3:54 PM Yogananda CS <sriran...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Megh Kalyanasundaram]

Namaste Yoga-ji, 

I am actually not seeking a disagreement here and while I (think I) hear you, I personally welcome rigorous decolonisation literature that is empirically-sound. 

And having been part of team that engaged formally (in writing) with CBSE last year, I must say my appetite for decolonised content has only increased. 

To each, their own! 🙏

Best,

Megh

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[Manogna Sastry]

Thank you for sharing this Megh.

In my view, Professor Raju's article speaks of a particular aspect of science - the experimental method as we know of it today - and its comparative origins. He does not use the western method as the bar nor is he entering the larger questions of how fundamental science itself is going through a process of churning, for they remain tangential to his points. He considers the topic, as I see it, not from the perspective of 'we too had it' but from a plane of genuinely giving credit where due, across eastern and western approaches to science. Despite the shaky (at best) origins of science in the west, it is indeed seen as the bastion of scientific and empirically sound thinking today and Professor Raju's article does a good job of highlighting the dubiousness that should be associated with this claim. 

Post colonial approaches in history of science are woefully behind and given that backdrop, I think there is a legitimate need to have more of these in the public domain for the common man to know. It is unfortunate, but even in 2019, a common denominator across any list that speaks of remarkable scientific experiments across the world tend to be truly non-global, as does the view that non-western peoples may have developed these ideas to a greater extent earlier in the first place. The highlighting of the latter fact is not to also/only compete for the same credit, but to simply level the playing field and bring to the table sources that have remained outside the data set of the west for centuries. 

Definitely looking forward to Dr. Raju's further work on this.

Warmly,

Manogna 

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[Megh Kalyanasundaram]

"...genuinely giving credit where due,..." 

"...but to simply level the playing field and bring to the table sources that have remained outside..."

Exactly! 

Megh 

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