Sir,
This is in reference to writeup titled “irrational practice can be harmful” by Dr Arun Mitra [Daily Excelsior,23rd October]. Irrational practice and perception among doctors is not in isolation.Quite on the contrary,irrational mindset with unscientific temper has become ‘order of the day’ for the large section of Indians irrespective of their academic credentials.One very important part of the constitution is the section on ” Fundamental duties of Indian citizens” One of these fundamental duties under article 51A[h] is that ” It shall be the duty of every citizen to develop the scientific temper,humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. Today ,ironically enough large section of Indians seems to have forgotten this important injunction.
Scientific temper refers to an attitude of logical and rational thinking. An individual is considered to have scientific temper only if he or she employs a scientific method of decision making in day to day life.Scientific temper is a way of thinking and not just about science.
Of late more and more Indians seem to have totally lost scientific temper along with supremacy of reason.It is more true about literate elite class [literate illiterates].The scientific correctness of this class turns out to be the exact opposite of what the advocates of rationalism or scientific temper have in mind.Rather than cultivating a habit of critical thinking [when,why and how] which subjects metaphysical assumptions of inherited traditions and legacies to scientific scrutiny and challenge,educated Indians are showing huge appetite for the pseudo -scientism being patronised by state and propagated by their cohorts.As a matter of fact ,most educated Indians seem to switch effortlessly from the profane to the sacred,from the lab to their respective religious place and back, without being troubled by the sharp contradictions between the operative beliefs in the two spheres.
H N Patwari
on e-mail
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