Monday, August 22, 2005

India And Stem Cell Research

Via New York Times, How India Reconciles Hindu Values and Biotech.

Novelist Pankaj Mishra writes:

Scientism has few detractors in India; and the elites find it easy to propose technological rather than political and moral solutions to the problems of poverty, inequality and environmental damage ... They subscribe to a worldly form of Hinduism - one that now proves to be infinitely adjustable to the modern era, endorsing nuclear bombs and biotechnology as well as India's claim to be taken seriously as an emerging economic and scientific superpower.

Mr. Mishra doesn't really address his subject line. In fact, as he sees it, Indians don't reconcile Hindu values and Biotech at all -- instead, they abandon Hindu values to pursue technology. This is a ridiculous perspective by an author seemingly grasping for cheap publicity by damning his own people.

3 comments:

Queasy Rider said...

This is a ridiculous perspective by an author seemingly grasping for cheap publicity by damning his own people.

Thanks for echoing my thoughts beautifully!

These worthies lose all sense when asked to write for publications like the NYT. They think they're better than the 'average' Indian, while claiming to be the voice of the same. What temerity!

- Nanda Kishore

Queasy Rider said...

Btw, I have been posting rants on various blogs about this article - I think it deserves utter condemnation for the same reasons you mentioned, plus the emptiness of the arguments.

- Nanda Kishore

Primary Red said...

Wholehearted agreement.

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