NOPR Collection:

A Comparative Perspective for Functional Application of Scientific Temper in Southern Africa

2019-05-02T04:54:43Z

Title: A Comparative Perspective for Functional Application of Scientific Temper in Southern Africa Authors: Plessis, Hester Du Abstract: In celebration of the launch of a journal in India that will be dedicated to the advancement of the notion of scientific temper, it is apt to reflect on the possibilities of the impact that such a notion is likely to have once introduced in countries other than in India.
In a country like South Africa, which has its historical, emotional as well as political links with India established through the ideas of great statesmen such as Mahatma Gandhi, one finds similarities as well as differences in its historical development and post-liberation governance practices. A striking communality is that both countries were subjugated to British colonial rule. Both countries went through post-colonial changes that required new governance structures subject to new regulations and policies. New governance choices were made as result of visionary indigenous leaders keen to provide policies appropriate to serve the indigenous society. As a result the new policies were infused with each country’s respective cultural worldviews and histories.
One similarity of action between the two countries is the idealised protection of people’s indigenous knowledge systems. A striking difference, however, is the national efforts to protect people’s knowledge, identified as ‘scientific temper’ in India, and the wide ranging, culturally embedded perception of people’s inability of being ‘rational’ in Africa with the resultant disregard for African knowledge systems. This paper will explore this socio-political divide created through the subconscious ‘acceptance’ of people’s apparent inability of being ‘rational’ in Africa against the endorsement of a nation’s ability of ‘being rational’ through a constitutional obligation towards maintaining scientific temper in India. Page(s): 9-28

The Connotation and Goal of Science Popularisation in Modern China

2019-05-02T04:45:47Z

Title: The Connotation and Goal of Science Popularisation in Modern China Authors: Fujun, Ren Abstract: The conceptual framework and practice of science popularisation in modern China are developing constantly. At present, science popularisation is usually considered to denote activities that disseminate science knowledge to the public, popularize scientific thoughts, carry forward scientific spirits, advocate scientific methods, constantly improve public-scientific literacy and communicate with the public for their all-round development in a way easy for them to understand, accept and get involved into the activity. Scientific methods, scientific thoughts, scientific spirits and relationships between science and society constitute the main ingredients of science popularisation. The main objective of science popularisation is to improve public-scientific literacy, promote communication between science and society as well as spread scientific culture. Page(s): 29-45

A Perspective on Scientific Temper in India

2019-05-02T04:44:16Z

Title: A Perspective on Scientific Temper in India Authors: Mahanti, Subodh Abstract: The term “scientific temper” was first used in India by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946. After he became the first Prime Minister of Independent India in 1947, Nehru relentlessly expanded the notion of scientific temper and strived hard to convince the political and scientific leadership to inculcate scientific temper among its citizens. However, this discourse is rooted in the pre-Nehruvian era. Though the term scientific temper was not in use, a number of social reformers, scholars and scientists advocated the need to instil a sprit of scientific enquiry in the society. The Post Nehruvian period witnessed the Government’s commitment in its science and technology policy statements and constitutional amendments to develop scientific temper. In 1981, a statement on scientific temper was issued by a group of individuals, which evoked support as well as criticism from different quarters. In 2011, an attempt was made to revisit the 1981 scientific temper statement and the outcome was a revised statement, now known as the Palampur Declaration. This was followed by two international conferences and workshops, which built upon the conceptualization of Scientific Temper as well as a plan of action to promote it. The present paper attempts to situate the notion of ''Scientific Temper'' in the Indian context, and expose the nuances of how this concept has been developed. Page(s): 46-62

From ‘The Book of Life’ to ‘Freedom of Belief’

2019-05-02T04:42:12Z

Title: From ‘The Book of Life’ to ‘Freedom of Belief’ Authors: Prathap, Gangan Abstract: India continues to stand at the cross-roads of having to choose from the two roads that lead to Belief. For Belief can be founded on Faith, or it can be founded on Reason. Faith is a non-rational belief system. Science is a rational belief system. One of the ironies of life that is seriously emerging from recent research in evolutionary biology is that the acceptance of non-rational belief systems confers a greater ability to survive. At the same time, a society that has no rational thinkers will probably be wiped out. Therefore, for long term survival, every social group needs a small group of individuals who have the rational compass to guide the rest on the Road to Reason, and away from the Road of Faith that is pot-holed with mindless superstitions and rituals. Without this, we would be condemned to lead narrow-minded lives of quiet desperation. Page(s): 63-69