Disclaimer: I have grown up in India and live in India. Except for a 3 week business visit to a middle eastern country, I have not lived outside of India. Hence, I write this in the context of India from my vantage point but some of these things could be generalised and need not be specific to India.
ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvataha
It has been increasingly evident to me to that scientific temper is something lots and lots of Indians lack. I don't not consider scientific temper as a binary entity. It is not like you have it or you don't have it. Also, Science and Scientific Temper are both life long pursuits. It has been my experience so far that a person might be a scientist by his business card title and be publishing research papers in his area of expertise in this age and day of hyper-specialisation yet be lacking in scientific temper. The converse is equally true. I might have good scientific temper but may not be drawing pay-check in a field related to science. The former case seems to be even more rampant with technologists and other professions(politicians, celebrities, bureaucrats...) where people make tons of more money than the scientists and use their rational mind day in and day out, yet don't train their minds to a have broader world view(360 degrees) and pursue scientific temper.
Human society has progressed very very remarkably since the days of living in caves and the first days of inventing fire. Today, a lot of science, especially fundamental physics, is counter intuitive. This poses the first risk to promoting scientific temper where an everyday person doesn't seem to distinguish it from psuedo-science. I have seen a lot of otherwise logical people fall for psuedo-science. This stems from lack of scientific temper rather than lack of logic, in my view. A very accomplished physicist and a very dear friend of mine once told me that the Socratic method is one of the best methods of enquiry. I believe that Socratic method is very useful, handy and easy to deploy in recognising psuedo-science in whatever capacities possible.
The second tool deployed as a defence mechanism by those resisting scientific temper is the lack of understanding of the scientific method itself. Many seems to not understand the difference between a scientist and science itself. A scientist is a human being just like you and me. He/She comes with their own world view and biases. The scientific method constantly works to remove these biases while advancing Science. Scientific Temper also means that how you arrive at answer is as important as the answer if not more. It requires one to be open minded and change their world view as and when he/she acquires newer knowledge.
A third tool deployed against scientific temper, especially by vested interest groups to perpetuate superstition and/or psuedo-science is the lack of all answers. Firstly, question is more important than the answer. It is the foundation of critical thinking and as is the question so is the answer. Science (not necessarily everyone with a tag of scientist) has the humility to say, "I don' know." But then one can find many people who will sell you anything because your best tools have not given you certain answers. If you can't trust your best methods and tools but are willing to accept some one who says they have the answers, then either you are intellectually lazy or gullible or both.
To summarise, let us aim to promote Scientific Temper and Love and Humanness and make this world a better place to live. We are here because of tons of random things that happened. And just because it happened because of randomness doesn't mean it is not beautiful and not to be cherished.
ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvataha
ఆనో భద్ర క్రత్వో యంతు విశ్వతః
May noble thoughts come to us from every direction. -Rig Veda 1.89
Human society has progressed very very remarkably since the days of living in caves and the first days of inventing fire. Today, a lot of science, especially fundamental physics, is counter intuitive. This poses the first risk to promoting scientific temper where an everyday person doesn't seem to distinguish it from psuedo-science. I have seen a lot of otherwise logical people fall for psuedo-science. This stems from lack of scientific temper rather than lack of logic, in my view. A very accomplished physicist and a very dear friend of mine once told me that the Socratic method is one of the best methods of enquiry. I believe that Socratic method is very useful, handy and easy to deploy in recognising psuedo-science in whatever capacities possible.
The second tool deployed as a defence mechanism by those resisting scientific temper is the lack of understanding of the scientific method itself. Many seems to not understand the difference between a scientist and science itself. A scientist is a human being just like you and me. He/She comes with their own world view and biases. The scientific method constantly works to remove these biases while advancing Science. Scientific Temper also means that how you arrive at answer is as important as the answer if not more. It requires one to be open minded and change their world view as and when he/she acquires newer knowledge.
A third tool deployed against scientific temper, especially by vested interest groups to perpetuate superstition and/or psuedo-science is the lack of all answers. Firstly, question is more important than the answer. It is the foundation of critical thinking and as is the question so is the answer. Science (not necessarily everyone with a tag of scientist) has the humility to say, "I don' know." But then one can find many people who will sell you anything because your best tools have not given you certain answers. If you can't trust your best methods and tools but are willing to accept some one who says they have the answers, then either you are intellectually lazy or gullible or both.
To summarise, let us aim to promote Scientific Temper and Love and Humanness and make this world a better place to live. We are here because of tons of random things that happened. And just because it happened because of randomness doesn't mean it is not beautiful and not to be cherished.
2 comments:
Good article. To add my minuscle bit - Scientific temper flourishes when nurtured with strong rational support; environment and hunger for all dimensional truths.
Unfortunately, the meaning of science changed completely today. Once upon a time, in early modern history, science meant close observation, careful experimentation, and meticulous conclusions. However, science has now been degraded "publication" of research. It became a rat race for finding spot in the so-called high visibility journals. Researchers are relying on trickery, manipulation, and half-baked conclusions to survive this publish or perish environment. When "scientists" have lost track, the onus is on the normal untrained simpletons to bring back true scientific temper. Familiarity is now being confused with understanding. For example,many physicists are only familiar with quantum mechanics but don't understand it. Nobody cares about "why" anymore. To ask fundamental questions is not a good career choice anymore. True scientific temper can only developed by emulating true scientist. But, we now lack true scientists. Anyone and everyone is a PHd. The only savior is the Socratic method
Post a Comment