Random Thoughts
The Insensitivities of Certain Indian Rationalists!
Rationalism is a favorite slogan of many modern Indian intellectuals, caste leaders, (some) regionalism leaders, champions of separatism, sub-nationality and social justice in addition to sworn atheists including some leftists. They are of the opinion that logic and reasoning can resolve all outstanding human problems. They go to the extent of ridiculing faith and faiths. But they do not know that their utterances are based on belief only and not on individual quest, search or experimentation. They quote scientists, famous radical humanists and older social justice leaders to support themselves and their attack on the faith and selective faiths.
Indian rationalists mainly target Hinduism, its ancient culture and civilization. Most of them lack intellectual training in any field-research, analysis or the like. They are more prejudiced than the people whom they attack and dub are prejudiced. Their enlightenment is confined to hurting and irresponsibly commenting on selected faiths. None of them are trained in modern sciences, technologies or enlightened philosophies. Most of them are educated in their regional tongue and their horizon of knowledge or scholarship or vision is highly limited to their belief and geographical locations rather than to study and learning. But they criticize with impunity centuries old expressions and ridicule them claiming to be the champions of rationalism and social justice.
For example, a rationalist who never studied physics will agree that electron exists. How is he sure of the existence of electron, he himself never trying to verify its existence? He does not know that he is simply believing what scientists say and what is written in the books. When he believes the existence of electron so naively, on the other hand he ridicules saints and sages without he himself ever verifying what they experienced and said. By simple logic or his affiliation to atheism or a famous non-believer, he dismisses ancient and modern Indian saints and seers who contributed to Indian wisdom and their teachings are publicly ridiculed.
Why and how he is able to take this license? Because he happens to criticize Hinduism and the Brahmanism and his rationalism is confined to irresponsible criticisms on Indian culture and civilization which are based on Sanskrit Texts, though many Buddhist and Jain Texts are also in Sanskrit language. He does not see any deficiencies in other faiths in his limited intellectual sincerity. His intellectual insincerity and selective ridicule of certain faiths only are condoned by his friends and followers. He also does not know that rationalists in other countries ridicule the majority faiths of their societies.
Rationalism is thus confined in modern India mostly to negatively commenting on faith and faiths without any intellectual training or analysis and blindly believing what their leaders say. He can not verify on his own the truth or otherwise of Einstein’s theory of relativity and like a child keeps mum and believes it. But the same person who never cares to verify what sages have experienced and said, vulgarly criticizes them.
This selective rationalism is with a view on vote banks but not because of love for truth or real knowledge or concern for the social sections he claims to uplift.
Many rationalists in India have developed vested interest in commenting without themselves ever verifying the truth or otherwise of what ancient or modern Indian seers or saints have professed. Their ability to garner many votes and hence political influence and power is protecting them from all insulting comments they make on Indian culture and civilization and hurt many Indians. These insensitivities of many Indian rationalists are to be condemned and answered in a healthy debate.
Majority opinion and votes can rule democracy but many times truth and justness can not be democratically decided. Truths professed by science, seers and philosophies can not be put to democratic vote and decided. It requires a trained mind and committed individuals to knowledge and truth to comment on them. Every Dick, Tom and Harry does not have jurisdiction in the determination of truth though he happens to be a leader who can garner votes by promising free bees with tax payer’s money and in the process builds dynastic empires to his sons and daughters.
Rationalism is sincerity and not selective negative and hurting statements on selective and selected faiths.
22-Feb-2012
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Dr. Varanasi Ramabrahmam
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