[Science
envy from An und für sich Oct 30, 2012 by Adam Kotsko
The
scientific method is obviously extremely powerful, but its (often willful)
blindness to the real nature of its practice and its totalitarian ambition to
explain everything (i.e., reduce everything
to “scientific” terms) also make it extremely dangerous. Hence one of the most
important jobs of philosophers is to be critics of science, in the Kantian
sense of the word. In other words, Husserl and Heidegger and Foucault were
basically right.]
[ Intellectual Ecologies and Populations by larval
subjects
The
question is one of how we relate to the tradition or thought that has come
before. Do we stick our heads in the sand, continuing to draw on that
tradition as if modern physics, chemistry, biology, neurology, mathematics, and
contemporary social transformations wrought by technology haven’t occurred and
make no demands on us to rethink the being or being, or do we relate to that
tradition in terms of these transformations and seek to determine how we might
creatively rethink that tradition in light of these transformations?] 7:31 PM
[Dr. Ambedkar, Dr. Elst and Bhagavad Gita from Centre Right India Oct 31, 2012 by Aravindan
Neelakandan
Dr.
Ambedkar should be considered not only as a Dalit emancipator but also as a
pioneering social historian of ancient India . He has developed a strong
criticism of Bhagavad Gita in his unfinished book ‘Revolution and
Counter-Revolution in Ancient India’… On October 3 1954, the main architect of
Indian Constitution elaborated his philosophy in a speech broadcast on All
India Radio. Dr. Ambedkar zeroed in on the Triguna-based Chatur-Varna rationale
of Gita:
“Negatively,
I reject the Hindu social philosophy propounded in the Bhagavad Geeta based as
it is, on the Triguna of the Sankhya philosophy which is in my
judgment a cruel perversion of the philosophy of Kapila and which had made the
caste system and the system of graded inequality the law of Hindu social life.”
But
there is nothing in Gita that makes Triguna either hereditary or unchangeable.
According to historian Upinder Singh even the Jain and Buddhist traditions,
which are supposed to have attached not much divine sanction to the Varna
system, accept the Varna system as being based on ‘natural inclinations and
aptitude’, which is exactly what Bhagavad Gita also states. In the traditional
Gita-commentary of Sri Ramanuja, the Acharya presents a view that the Guna-composition
can be changed through self-effort… The problem of ‘casteism’ or social
stagnation seems to have set in the evolution of Buddhism and Jainism as well.]
While
going through Sri Aurobindo's letters, the reader should keep in mind that each
letter was written to a specific person at a specific time, in specific
circumstances and for a specific purpose. The subjects taken up arose in regard
to the needs of the person. Sri Aurobindo varied the style and tone of his
replies according to his relationship with the correspondent; to those with
whom he was close, he sometimes employed humour, irony and even sarcasm.
Although
written to specific recipients, these letters contain much of general interest,
which justifies their inclusion in a volume destined for the general public.
For the reasons mentioned above, however, the advice in them does not always
apply equally to everyone.]
The
methodological quandary has been a constant companion of man since millennia and
no possible remedy for it is in sight. Despite their exhaustive writings, The
Mother & Sri Aurobindo – let’s face it – have not left behind some firm
opinion on any specific topic. So, one must be extremely circumspect while
recommending a slice of their prescriptions or endorsing its splice with some
other formulation.
Internet
has greatly facilitated availability of texts, but just because something is
written, it can’t be taken at its face value. The content, by itself, is no
assurance of truth or commensurate performance. Religious texts have existed
for thousands of years but what we find in the society at present is sham and scams.
Yoga or spirituality, if ineffective to refine the collective life, then will
be accused of collusion or escapism. Heehs imbroglio has been instrumental in
spreading the fragrance of Sadhana in Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry from Columbia to Cambodia . It’s shameful that Dr. Karan Singh remains the Chairman of Auroville Governing Board for next four years. [TNM55]
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