This schizophrenia is a big problem for India; it may even be worse there than
here. I amscheduled to review Meera Nanda's latest book, THE WRONGS OF THE
RELIGIOUS RIGHT, in which she documents this schizophrenia in one of her
essays. In another she compares secularism in India and the USA.
Now on this subject of not being able to accept the randomness of evolution: it
stand to reason that accepting the charnel house of the biosphere as some sort
of intelligent divine plan is montstrous and stupid. There was something
called natural theology (e.g. Paley). It's interesting that working class
intellectuals rejected the concept of nature as benign and harmonious. (I can
dig up the reference if you like.) From a radically different point of view,
William Blake also rejected natural theology, considering the god who made this
(the fallen) world as evil.
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Nov 17, 2005 3:54 PM
To: 'Forum for the discussion of theoretical issues raised by Karl Marx and
the thinkers he inspired' <marxism-thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu>
Subject: [Marxism-Thaxis] Wilson: science and religion are incompatible
________________________________
[Marxism] Re: Wilson: science and religion are incompatible
Marla Vijaya kumar
AC Pollack refers Wilsons paper: "Many who accept the fact of evolution
can not, however, on religious grounds, accept the operation of blind
chance and the absence of divine purpose implicit in natural selection."
"Today we live in a less barbaric age, but an other-wise
comparable disjunction between science and religion, the one born of
Darwinism, still roils the public mind."
After my PG in Electrical engineering, I joined BHEL (Indian
Government owned Electrical Equipment Manufacturing Company) in 1977 and, I
was asked to report to one Mr Murthy, my senior in college by 4 years. He
is a specialist in design of large electrical machines. A devout and
extremely oerthodx Brahmin, he used to keep the photographs of Hindu gods
on this table and never started the day's work without an elaborate prayer.
But surprisingly, he was a firm believer in the scientific method and used
to insist that scientific method has to be adhered to strictly. He used to
say that "you can not design a machine and say that you got the dimensions
dictated to you by God in your last night's dream. You have to substantiate
your choice of dimensions by set of physical laws
..'.
In one of his good moods, I ventured to ask him, "Sir, you follow
scientific method for 8 hours in a day and follow unscientific beliefs for
the rest of the day. Don't you see the contradiction.". He did not give a
direct answer, but evaded by saying that being a communist and a
non-believer, I am are trying to corner him with my arguments. He refused
to accept the contradiction between the scientific method and religious
dogma. In fact, it is the case with may men of science.
Vijaya Kumar Marla
Ralph Dumain's The Autodidact Project
http://www.autodidactproject.org
The C.L.R. James Institute
http://www.clrjamesinstitute.org
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