I had initially thought of penning a post on how I thought of Ayurveda as more of quackery and religion and less of a science or medical system. But then that turned my thoughts and attention to the current state of science and scientific temper in India.
In one sense the great popularity and recognition accorded to Ayurveda in India, is in itself a significant pointer to the standards of science prevailing currently in India.
By India's state of science and its related aspects, I mean and imply the following things and more:
I have deliberately sought to mention science and scientific temper together, though they do not mean the same thing. But scientific temper and a constructive attitude towards science is required for science to take root, flourish and contribute to the overall progress of the Indian society and nation.
There is some amount of literature and content about points 1-3 above, in the news, blogs and internet sources. And it is mostly unfavorable to India, which is not very surprising.
The answer to Point no. 2 above is that it is very close to nil or negligible, which by itself should be a source of great worry to Indian policy makers and intellectuals
Apart from India's recent accomplishments in Space research and technology, missile and nuclear testing, Indian science and technology has had very little to be proud of .
Otherwise Indian science and technology has been in the limelight of news for all the wrong reasons. The egg in the face with which Indian science institutions landed themselves into on the GM controversy over Bt Brinjal showed that Indian politicians and policy makers have very little faith or confidence in their own scientists.
Though there is not a lot of statistics, whatever is there shows 'progress' of Indian science and technology in a very poor light. India has now been overtaken by China in terms of:
Instead of any progress, it looks like Indian science and technology is stagnating or falling behind by many measures.
As I mentioned before, none of this is a surprise and India's recent successes in economic and industrial sphere as a significant beneficiary of the globalization process only serves to distract public attention and opinion away from the real nature of this problem.
With reference to point 3 above about the standard of science education or education system in general, while there is a tendency to generalize the overall state of the system, it may not be off the mark to say that it fails to make a respectable grade.
Readers can refer to this article link: India's education system fails to make the grade or this: Does Indian education offer any quality? and this: India's education malaise has all the hallmarks of a development disaster for more information and opinions on current Indian education system.
I feel that more than these the points relating to the public/national attitude towards science and the systemic/institutional framework to support and sustain science is crucial to determining the destiny and future of science and scientific temper in India.
If people of India continue with their indifferent and lackadaisical attitude towards this subject, the future of science may not be bright. The influence of superstition and religion is so heavy in the general and social life of Indians, that it leaves them with very little time and inclination for science.
This article link here: Indian Public's attitude to science contains some survey points related to Indian attitudes towards science and compares it to attitude of the UK public towards science, which results don't seem to bode well for Indian science
When I refer to Indian public's heavy sedation by superstition and irrationality, the allusion is to the popularity of these kinds of voodoo:
By referring to a weak and fragile institutional framework for science in India, I am implying the attitude of the government and institutions, which while paying lip-service to the importance of science, are actually undermining its roots and foundations by poor implementation, wastage and corruption of the actual programs and organizations.
Another disturbing feature is that other institutions and organs of a supposedly republican democracy like ours, seem to be devoid of any scientific temper and respect for science and reason. Courts are not taking a strong stand in favor of science in public lawsuits/complaints against practices of Astrology, Homeopathy and teaching of Vedic pseudosciences. The episodes of Ram Sethu bridge dispute and final Ayodhya verdict, showed that courts and judges are themselves hostage to the national epidemic of religiosity and are incapable of using reason and logic and interpreting the law and constitution properly.
More than the broad opinion expressed above, the comments below from this blog post: Does Indian Science Suck? , are more eloquent about the state of institutional framework
Comment 1:
"Indian science is run by mediocre scientists or bureaucrats who have no idea of what is going on in the rest of the world. The quality control system in place belongs to iron age.
For instance, we have no device to evaluate the quality of a scientist. No institution asks for a reference letter from a mentor before taking a decision on appointment of a faculty. Neither do they evaluate the real scientific quality or merit of the work done by the applicant. I mean they don't count on the impact of the journal publications or citation of the articles. Still the oldies rely on the marks one candidate scored from high school onwards. They are still sticking on checking the stamp on an experience certificate similar to appointing an apprentice in an automobile workshop. Also, we are still ruled by a prejudice that anything from US is to be celebrated and appreciated while hard earned experience from labs from the rest of the world is being stifled. Once appointed he/she will be promoted disregarding his/her performance in teaching or research. So genuinely enthusiastic and productive scientists will be frustrated in this lethargic system. Another point is that scientific projects are being funded without much scrutiny to cronies without any follow-up on the outcome. In fact, India should adopt international norms for the selection of faculty and scientific projects."
Comment 2:
"I am an undergraduate student of IIT Kanpur interested in pursuing scientific research in future. Thank god i got to read this blog and the comments. My father ,who is himself an IITian has always lamented the quality of scientific research in india. He has worked in ISRO, NAL,HAL - all so called research organisations in india. Having suffered from bitter experiences of working here he has always enncouraged me to pursue my dream abroad. But it was I who wanted to work in INDIA but reading so many comments from those who have had the experience of working here coupled with my own father's reviews about working here i guess i have to rethink my plans.
Some major problems being:
1. Corruption from the lowest levels to the very top.
2. Unhealthy work culture. Neither do they themselves work hard nor do they allow others to do so.
3. Ever increasing politics in promotions and the deserving being sidelined.
4. No originality in so called research done here. This is what my father said....." What actually happens in INDIA is they take some top papers published in US, JAPAN etc , copy it and just alter it to some extent without even understanding the whole content, get some so & so result and publish a PAPER. Lack of original work done is what plagues our society.
5. Since INDIA doesn't have heroes , we make any one idiot a HERO..... APJ Abdul Kalam is the best example. He may be called a good manager but he has no original scientific work to his credit. Plainly speaking he is no scientist....well to understand and appreciate what i am saying you must have in depth knowledge of nuclear and space science...anyway that man is now worshipped in india as being a legendary scientist and has been a popular president already....
The story of india's science matches with a hindi saying....andha gaun mein kanha raja....(in a village of blind people a person with one eye is the king)!!!"
If we cannot have much hope for science from the government and institutions, what about the community of scientists
Here is a link to a thread on Nirmukta: Indian-Scientists-and-Belief-in-God
Below are disconcerting points gleaned from the comments and responses there:
Comments:
"This is an interesting study which calls for bringing about Indian scientists to a more materialist worldview. This kind of thinking is pretty much nowhere to be seen in any Western country. The fact that Indian scientists continue to hold on to their superstitions reflects the backward and superstitious state of Indian society than anything else."
"This may be a gross generalization but I think this really shows how backward we are in terms of proper innovative,scientific thinking. Having worked with both European and Indian scientific communities I am willing to assert that many scientists in India aren't really up to the grade internationally when it comes to applying the scientific method and innovating. Below are a few reasons why this may be the case:
1. The shortcomings of a 'by rote' education system.
2. A strongly religious upbringing.
3. Cultural taboos against questioning traditional thought or authority
4. Post-colonial aversion to the scientific method (perceiving the mindset that best suits scientific research as 'Un-Indian' or 'aggressively western' )
5. Economic reasons. Indian universities typically used to operate on budgets that are a fraction of what their international counterparts have."
This article: In God Indian scientists believe!
reproduces most of what has been said on the Nirmukta thread, but more in a survey conclusions format. Nevertheless the lessons that one can take away from these surveys are quite disconcerting and ironically not a good omen (pun intended) for the prospects of Indian science.
"A survey, by the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut and Hyderabad-based Centre for Inquiry, found that religion and faith had deep roots in the minds of Indian scientists.
A survey of 1,100 scientists across 130 universities and research institutes across the country threw up interesting results as 29 per cent believed in the philosophy of 'karma', 26 per cent accepted the principle of life after death and seven per cent researchers gave credence to existence of ghosts.
An amazing 64 per cent scientists said they would refuse to design biological weapons because of their moral and religious beliefs, while 54 per cent said they will not work on nuclear weapons for the same reasons.
As many as 93 per cent researchers defined secularism as tolerance for various religions and philosophies, while only a minority of scientists said it meant atheism.
Forty one per cent scientists approved in some form or the other religious endorsement of a space project by space scientists.
In 2005, space scientists had travelled to Tirupati to seek blessing of Lord Venkateswara before launching the rocket and satellite.
However, the level of disapproval of the act was more intense with as many as 33 per cent scientists disapproving it strongly. Only 14 per cent strongly approved of the action.
A plurality of scientists (44 per cent) was willing to criticise and confront religions where they think they contradict accepted scientific theories but a sizeable minority (23 per cent) is opposed to it.
The scientists are most likely to regard their personal outlook as 'secular' (59 per cent) or 'somewhat secular' (16 per cent). Secularism, according to a majority of them, is tolerance for various religions and philosophies.
One fourth of the total scientists surveyed were firm believers while another fourth took an atheist or agnostic position about belief in the divine.
Twenty six per cent scientists said they knew God really exists and they had no doubts about it, while 30 per cent did not believe in personal God but believed in a higher power.
Twelve per cent scientists said they did not believe in God while another 13 per cent said they neither knew about the existence of God nor did they believed there was any way to find it out.
A majority of scientists thought of themselves as being spiritual, which according to two thirds of them is either 'commitment to higher human ideals, such as peace, harmony or well being' (34 per cent), or 'a higher level of human consciousness or awareness' (31 per cent).
A majority of the Indian scientists were Hindus (66 per cent) and 10 per cent identified themselves as atheists or having no religion."
In one sense the great popularity and recognition accorded to Ayurveda in India, is in itself a significant pointer to the standards of science prevailing currently in India.
By India's state of science and its related aspects, I mean and imply the following things and more:
- India's national standing and stature in the world of science.
- India's contributions, discoveries, innovations and inventions relating to science and technology
- How Indian educational and science institutions and faculties fare overall in comparison to both developed and emerging nations.
- The attitude and outlook of Indians in general towards science and scientific temper and how the culture and people approach and treat this subject
- The systemic and institutional framework in the country and how that can advance or impede the cause of science and its prospects
I have deliberately sought to mention science and scientific temper together, though they do not mean the same thing. But scientific temper and a constructive attitude towards science is required for science to take root, flourish and contribute to the overall progress of the Indian society and nation.
There is some amount of literature and content about points 1-3 above, in the news, blogs and internet sources. And it is mostly unfavorable to India, which is not very surprising.
The answer to Point no. 2 above is that it is very close to nil or negligible, which by itself should be a source of great worry to Indian policy makers and intellectuals
Apart from India's recent accomplishments in Space research and technology, missile and nuclear testing, Indian science and technology has had very little to be proud of .
Otherwise Indian science and technology has been in the limelight of news for all the wrong reasons. The egg in the face with which Indian science institutions landed themselves into on the GM controversy over Bt Brinjal showed that Indian politicians and policy makers have very little faith or confidence in their own scientists.
Though there is not a lot of statistics, whatever is there shows 'progress' of Indian science and technology in a very poor light. India has now been overtaken by China in terms of:
- Public spending/funding of scientific research
- in the numbers of research papers being submitted, reviewed and published and
- the number of doctorate degrees produced.
Instead of any progress, it looks like Indian science and technology is stagnating or falling behind by many measures.
As I mentioned before, none of this is a surprise and India's recent successes in economic and industrial sphere as a significant beneficiary of the globalization process only serves to distract public attention and opinion away from the real nature of this problem.
With reference to point 3 above about the standard of science education or education system in general, while there is a tendency to generalize the overall state of the system, it may not be off the mark to say that it fails to make a respectable grade.
Readers can refer to this article link: India's education system fails to make the grade or this: Does Indian education offer any quality? and this: India's education malaise has all the hallmarks of a development disaster for more information and opinions on current Indian education system.
I feel that more than these the points relating to the public/national attitude towards science and the systemic/institutional framework to support and sustain science is crucial to determining the destiny and future of science and scientific temper in India.
If people of India continue with their indifferent and lackadaisical attitude towards this subject, the future of science may not be bright. The influence of superstition and religion is so heavy in the general and social life of Indians, that it leaves them with very little time and inclination for science.
This article link here: Indian Public's attitude to science contains some survey points related to Indian attitudes towards science and compares it to attitude of the UK public towards science, which results don't seem to bode well for Indian science
When I refer to Indian public's heavy sedation by superstition and irrationality, the allusion is to the popularity of these kinds of voodoo:
- Astrology
- Pujas and ritual ceremonies
- Auspicious dates and times
- Vaastu
- Numerology
- Gemstones and lucky charms
- Feng Shui
By referring to a weak and fragile institutional framework for science in India, I am implying the attitude of the government and institutions, which while paying lip-service to the importance of science, are actually undermining its roots and foundations by poor implementation, wastage and corruption of the actual programs and organizations.
Another disturbing feature is that other institutions and organs of a supposedly republican democracy like ours, seem to be devoid of any scientific temper and respect for science and reason. Courts are not taking a strong stand in favor of science in public lawsuits/complaints against practices of Astrology, Homeopathy and teaching of Vedic pseudosciences. The episodes of Ram Sethu bridge dispute and final Ayodhya verdict, showed that courts and judges are themselves hostage to the national epidemic of religiosity and are incapable of using reason and logic and interpreting the law and constitution properly.
More than the broad opinion expressed above, the comments below from this blog post: Does Indian Science Suck? , are more eloquent about the state of institutional framework
Comment 1:
"Indian science is run by mediocre scientists or bureaucrats who have no idea of what is going on in the rest of the world. The quality control system in place belongs to iron age.
For instance, we have no device to evaluate the quality of a scientist. No institution asks for a reference letter from a mentor before taking a decision on appointment of a faculty. Neither do they evaluate the real scientific quality or merit of the work done by the applicant. I mean they don't count on the impact of the journal publications or citation of the articles. Still the oldies rely on the marks one candidate scored from high school onwards. They are still sticking on checking the stamp on an experience certificate similar to appointing an apprentice in an automobile workshop. Also, we are still ruled by a prejudice that anything from US is to be celebrated and appreciated while hard earned experience from labs from the rest of the world is being stifled. Once appointed he/she will be promoted disregarding his/her performance in teaching or research. So genuinely enthusiastic and productive scientists will be frustrated in this lethargic system. Another point is that scientific projects are being funded without much scrutiny to cronies without any follow-up on the outcome. In fact, India should adopt international norms for the selection of faculty and scientific projects."
Comment 2:
"I am an undergraduate student of IIT Kanpur interested in pursuing scientific research in future. Thank god i got to read this blog and the comments. My father ,who is himself an IITian has always lamented the quality of scientific research in india. He has worked in ISRO, NAL,HAL - all so called research organisations in india. Having suffered from bitter experiences of working here he has always enncouraged me to pursue my dream abroad. But it was I who wanted to work in INDIA but reading so many comments from those who have had the experience of working here coupled with my own father's reviews about working here i guess i have to rethink my plans.
Some major problems being:
1. Corruption from the lowest levels to the very top.
2. Unhealthy work culture. Neither do they themselves work hard nor do they allow others to do so.
3. Ever increasing politics in promotions and the deserving being sidelined.
4. No originality in so called research done here. This is what my father said....." What actually happens in INDIA is they take some top papers published in US, JAPAN etc , copy it and just alter it to some extent without even understanding the whole content, get some so & so result and publish a PAPER. Lack of original work done is what plagues our society.
5. Since INDIA doesn't have heroes , we make any one idiot a HERO..... APJ Abdul Kalam is the best example. He may be called a good manager but he has no original scientific work to his credit. Plainly speaking he is no scientist....well to understand and appreciate what i am saying you must have in depth knowledge of nuclear and space science...anyway that man is now worshipped in india as being a legendary scientist and has been a popular president already....
The story of india's science matches with a hindi saying....andha gaun mein kanha raja....(in a village of blind people a person with one eye is the king)!!!"
If we cannot have much hope for science from the government and institutions, what about the community of scientists
Here is a link to a thread on Nirmukta: Indian-Scientists-and-Belief-in-God
Below are disconcerting points gleaned from the comments and responses there:
- 50% Indian scientists believing that prayer and homoepathy are efficacious.
- 90% approval of degree courses in Ayurvedic medicine
- 44% approval of degree courses in Vedic astrology!
- Approval for the Tirupati blessing for the rocket launch is spread evenly.
- 10% are atheist, 43% are vegetarian and 3/4ths believe in God!
Comments:
"This is an interesting study which calls for bringing about Indian scientists to a more materialist worldview. This kind of thinking is pretty much nowhere to be seen in any Western country. The fact that Indian scientists continue to hold on to their superstitions reflects the backward and superstitious state of Indian society than anything else."
"This may be a gross generalization but I think this really shows how backward we are in terms of proper innovative,scientific thinking. Having worked with both European and Indian scientific communities I am willing to assert that many scientists in India aren't really up to the grade internationally when it comes to applying the scientific method and innovating. Below are a few reasons why this may be the case:
1. The shortcomings of a 'by rote' education system.
2. A strongly religious upbringing.
3. Cultural taboos against questioning traditional thought or authority
4. Post-colonial aversion to the scientific method (perceiving the mindset that best suits scientific research as 'Un-Indian' or 'aggressively western' )
5. Economic reasons. Indian universities typically used to operate on budgets that are a fraction of what their international counterparts have."
This article: In God Indian scientists believe!
reproduces most of what has been said on the Nirmukta thread, but more in a survey conclusions format. Nevertheless the lessons that one can take away from these surveys are quite disconcerting and ironically not a good omen (pun intended) for the prospects of Indian science.
"A survey, by the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut and Hyderabad-based Centre for Inquiry, found that religion and faith had deep roots in the minds of Indian scientists.
A survey of 1,100 scientists across 130 universities and research institutes across the country threw up interesting results as 29 per cent believed in the philosophy of 'karma', 26 per cent accepted the principle of life after death and seven per cent researchers gave credence to existence of ghosts.
An amazing 64 per cent scientists said they would refuse to design biological weapons because of their moral and religious beliefs, while 54 per cent said they will not work on nuclear weapons for the same reasons.
As many as 93 per cent researchers defined secularism as tolerance for various religions and philosophies, while only a minority of scientists said it meant atheism.
Forty one per cent scientists approved in some form or the other religious endorsement of a space project by space scientists.
In 2005, space scientists had travelled to Tirupati to seek blessing of Lord Venkateswara before launching the rocket and satellite.
However, the level of disapproval of the act was more intense with as many as 33 per cent scientists disapproving it strongly. Only 14 per cent strongly approved of the action.
A plurality of scientists (44 per cent) was willing to criticise and confront religions where they think they contradict accepted scientific theories but a sizeable minority (23 per cent) is opposed to it.
The scientists are most likely to regard their personal outlook as 'secular' (59 per cent) or 'somewhat secular' (16 per cent). Secularism, according to a majority of them, is tolerance for various religions and philosophies.
One fourth of the total scientists surveyed were firm believers while another fourth took an atheist or agnostic position about belief in the divine.
Twenty six per cent scientists said they knew God really exists and they had no doubts about it, while 30 per cent did not believe in personal God but believed in a higher power.
Twelve per cent scientists said they did not believe in God while another 13 per cent said they neither knew about the existence of God nor did they believed there was any way to find it out.
A majority of scientists thought of themselves as being spiritual, which according to two thirds of them is either 'commitment to higher human ideals, such as peace, harmony or well being' (34 per cent), or 'a higher level of human consciousness or awareness' (31 per cent).
A majority of the Indian scientists were Hindus (66 per cent) and 10 per cent identified themselves as atheists or having no religion."
Excellent post! This should reach, all the researchers of india.
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