Category Archives: Rationalism

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The son of Menachem Mendel, a Torah scribe, Moses Mendelssohn (son of Mendel) not only studied in yeshiva and became a promising rabbinic scholar, he also pursued secular learning, particularly languages and philosophy, studying the works of Locke and Leibniz and becoming friends with Immanuel Kant.

He published important philosophical essays in German and became known as the German Socrates; was awarded the prestigious status as a Jew under extraordinary protection by Frederick the Great (1750); and was awarded a prize by the Prussian Academy of Science for a treatise on Evidence in the Metaphysical Sciences (1763).

But he became best known for his personification of the conflict faced by the modern diasporan Jew seeking integration into broader secular society while maintaining a strong commitment to his Jewish identity.

Ironically, though Mendelssohn (1729 1826) was a great defender of traditional Judaism, he actually undermined it applying the intense rationalism test of the Haskalah (the Jewish Enlightenment). His philosophical approach ultimately proved incapable of spanning the chasm between the traditional Judaism from which he emerged and the world in which he now found himself; between his inferior civil status as a Jew and his emancipated status as a recognized and respected intellectual; and between his loyalty to halacha on the one hand and his rejection of various fundamental religious beliefs on the other.

The great irony of Mendelssohns life was that while he always remained a faithful Jew whose basic beliefs included the Sinaic revelation and the centrality of mitzvah observance to Jewish existence, his radical ideas led to assimilation and to the loss of Jewish identity on a massive scale, and he is perhaps best remembered today as a progenitor of Reform Judaism whose children converted to Christianity and in whose ideas the early Haskalah reformers found justification for secularism and emancipation at the expense of their Judaism.

The fact is, he never intended to reform Judaism but, rather, to harmonize traditional Jewish life with the new world of emancipation. Thus, the harshness of Jewish historys judgment upon him is more a reflection of his philosophical approach to Jews in contemporary society than a critique of his Torah observance or his dedication to halacha.

Mendelssohns belief in a wise and merciful God and in the immortality of the soul as eternal truths are the themes of his two major religious/philosophical works Morgenstunden (1785), in which he demonstrates the rationality of the belief that God exists, and Phaedon (1767), in which he argues for the eternal existence of the soul.

Where his beliefs proved antithetical, even heretical, to Jewish thought, however, is in the realm of free will, which he argued is logically impossible; his rejection of schar vonesh (strict divine reward and punishment); his embrace of ultimate rationalism and moral autonomy, such that any external law even if from Hashem himself must be subject to mans own conscience and morality (i.e., man is the sole arbiter of right and wrong); and his belief that divine revelation is no longer a necessary source for truth, since religious doctrines are based upon mans pure reason.

As opposed to Spinoza, who bitterly criticized Judaism as religious behaviorism that idolizes external action at the expense of inner devotion and who became famous for his rejection of Jewish law, Mendelssohn praised Judaism for being a revealed law rather than a revealed religion. He maintained that whereas a Jew is free to adopt the philosophical approach of his choice spiritual, rationalist, chassidic, kabbalistic, etc. his actions must always be consistent with Jewish law freedom in doctrine but strict conformity in action. Thus, for example, he translated the opening words of Maimonidess famous Thirteen Principles of Faith as I am firmly convinced rather than the traditional I believe . . .

Mendelssohn bravely and eloquently defended the principles of Judaism in the face of Christian conversionary polemics, most famously in his response to a challenge by Lavater, a leader of the Lutheran Church, to either disprove the truth of Christianity or convert to it. He response was his monumental work Jerusalem, or On Religious Power and Judaism, in which he argued that Judaism is not a religion that uses dogma to coerce thought and belief and that, as such, no Jewish institution should use its power, including particularly the power to excommunicate, to compel theological faith and practice.

The leading fighter for Jewish civil rights in Germany, he used his respect and renown to assist individual Jews and entire communities in disputes with the German authorities and he facilitated the revocation of many anti-Semitic laws.

The Orthodox view of Mendelssohn is perhaps best summarized by Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, intellectual founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz school of contemporary Orthodoxy, who wrote in his Nineteen Letters:

And when the yoke from without began to be lifted, and the spirit breathed more freely, one eminently illustrious personality came upon the scene and influenced Jewish life to the present day. His freer intellectual development, indeed, owed much to the influence of forces extraneous to Judaism. In his personal life and practice an observant Jew, he showed his brethren throughout the world that a man could be strictly religious and yet enjoy the eminence and luster of a German Plato. But it was this and yet which proved decisive. His successors contented themselves with the zealous cultivation of Tanach on philological and aesthetic linesto the neglect of Judaism itself.

With the advent and growth of the Haskalah movement, the Jewish public became conversant with German literature, which led to significant dissatisfaction with traditional Judeo-German biblical translations. Moreover, most German biblical commentators had interpreted the Bible from a personal point of view rather than emphasizing pshat (making clear the actual textual meaning). Mendelssohn became the first to breach this divide when he compiled a literal German translation of the Pentateuch, important not only because it awakened in its readers an esthetic interest in literature but also because it led to the greater use of high German by German Jews.

Exhibited with this column is a page from an incredibly rare document, Mendelssohns original handwritten manuscript of his translation of Sefer Yirmiahu (Jeremiah), which was later published by Joseph Wolf and David Ottensosser (Frth, 1810). I have selected this particular page because it includes Jeremiah 2:2, one of most beautiful verses in all of the Prophets an expression of Hashems sublime love for the Jewish people which may be familiar to readers from the Rosh Hashanah Mussaf service (Gods name has been redacted from the document to prevent the creation of shaimos):

Go, and cry out in the ears of Jerusalem saying: So says Hashem, I remember for you the affection of your youth, the love of your betrothal, how you went after me in the wilderness, in an unsown land. Israel is holy to Hashem . . .

Its interesting to note Mendelssohns footnote explaining that Jeremiah 2:4 is the beginning of the Haftarah portion that is read on Shabbat Parshat Maasei. As with all his translation work, he strove to conscientiously reproduce the text to reflect the spirit of the original.

Though grounded in traditional exegesis, Mendelssohns biblical translations into German proved highly controversial. Immediately upon publication, his Pentateuch was severely criticized by mainstream rabbinical leaders, including Rav Ezekiel Landau. Fearing that the magnificence of the German language and Mendelssohns beautiful linguistic rendition of the Pentateuch would induce young Jews to first abandon the study of the Torah itself and then to forsake entirely the practice of Torah-true Judaism, the rabbis joined to issue a ban against the German Pentateuch of Moses of Dessau (June 1779).

Various writers and commentators who had been working on a German commentary to Mendelssohns translation including famed poet and grammarian Solomon Dubno were frightened by the vociferous rabbinic opposition and ceased their efforts. A determined Mendelssohn soldiered on himself to complete the Pentateuch commentary. He delegated some work to individuals unmoved by the rabbinical ban and ultimately completed the work, which he called Netivot Shalom (Paths of Peace) in March 1783. The translation was in High German, and he personally wrote a Hebrew introduction discussing the development and history of his Pentateuch and the rules of idiom and syntax he used in his translation.

Mendelssohns work led to the Biurist movement (from the Hebrew word biur, or commentary), which consisted of a class of Jewish biblical exegetes including Samuel Israel Mulder, who translated the Pentateuch and other biblical works into Dutch; I. Neufeld (Polish); J. L. Mandelstamm (Russian); Samuel David Luzzatto (Italian); and M. Rosenthal (Hungarian).

In America, Isaac Leeser translated the Bible into English according to the interpretations of the Biurists. (See my Jewish Press column Isaac Leeser: Father of Torah Judaism in America, January 27, 2017.)

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Moses Mendelssohn: Personally Observant Progenitor Of Reform Judaism - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

Did aircraft really exist at the time of the Vedas? Was there a plastic surgeon who expertly attached an elephant's head on Hindu god Ganesha's body, as claimed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

Well, India's scientists in the making could well go on to research on these ancient Indian 'scientific marvels' and enlighten the world about the Vedic sciences.

With several ministries on board and a pool of 10,000 scientists, Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) the science wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will soon launch a digital mentoring initiative for school students to promote scientific research.

Named the Science India Portal, the initiative will kick off 15 October, the birth anniversary of late President and India's 'missile man' APJ Abdul Kalam. It will be supported by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences and Department of Biotechnology while the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) Hyderabad will be the knowledge partner.

VIBHA boasts of former Atomic Energy Commission chairperson Anil Kakodkar and ISRO ex-chief G Madhavan Nair as patrons. It advocates the synthesis of physical and spiritual sciences, and spearheads the movement for swadeshi sciences, including vaastu-vidya.

The development of the country is dependent upon its scientific and technological advancement. Unless there is an environment and adequate infrastructure, the country cannot have good scientists. This initiative is aimed at creating that. It is to identify and nurture students into scientists, said VIBHA Secretary-General A Jayakumar.

As much as regular sciences, the mentoring initiative would also focus on Vedic sciences and traditional Indian practices like Ayurveda and Siddha.

The aim is to develop scientific temper in the country. But at the same time, the young generation should also know about traditional Indian sciences and the country's rich history in the fields of science and technology. So, the agenda is also to promote Vedic sciences, said VIBHA member Arvind C Ranade, who is also a scientist in Vigyan Prasar (VP), a Government of India initiative to promote and propagate scientific and rational outlook.

Besides the Centre pushing for promotion of Vedic sciences in leading educational institutions, Modi and the saffron brigade have increasingly been raving about the country's scientific prowess in ancient times.

At an event in 2014 Modi cited Karna and Ganesha's cases from mythology in his bid to highlight India's past achievements in medicine.

The Mahabharata says Karna was not born from his mother's womb. This means that genetic science was present at that time, he had said.

There must have been some plastic surgeon at that time who got an elephant's head on the body of a human being, and began the practice of plastic surgery.

His Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh prescribed 'yogic farming' to empower the seeds with the help of positive thinking.

We should enhance the potency of seeds by rays of Parmatma Shakti, Singh was quoted as saying by the Indian Express in 2015.

The Science India Portal programme aims to reach out to at least two million students between Classes 6 and 12, who will be able to digitally interact with scientists and technocrats from various fields.

The portal will also contain detailed information on various scientific and mathematical theories, with special emphasis on Indian contributions. It aims to provide verified and authentic information about the country's achievements, including the Vedic period.

There are only bits and pieces of information available about Vedic India's achievements in the fields science and technology. We will accumulate and compile all the information that is there on these subjects. The students, thus, will be able to access verified and authentic information about them, said Saibal Das, senior scientist at the IICT.

VIBHA will also conduct Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan (VVM), an all-India examination for students of Class 6-12, to identify bright minds keen on taking up science.

With a syllabus based on study material provided by VIBHA, the VVM will be conducted on 26 November.

Rationalists though see this project as an attempt to saffronise the scientific community, and warn about the consequences of mixing religious ideology with science.

You can either promote scientific temper or Vedic sciences. They are diametrically opposed, said D Raghunandan of the Delhi Science Forum.

Besides being a blatant attempt to saffronise the scientist community, it is also an attempt to influence young minds with Hindutva ideology. People who believe existence of aircraft in the Vedic period, who swear by Mahabharata's plastic surgery, they are now talking about scientific temper. What can be more outrageous? said Raghunandan.

The team of scientists is likely to have Dr BG Matapurkar, who was awarded a US patent on adult stem cells used for organ regeneration. He had earlier claimed that the science of cloning and test-tube baby was known to Indians of Mahabharata age.

The Kolkata-based Science and Rationalists' Association of India (SRAI), which promotes rationalism, expressed concern over the initiative.

Instead of the Wright brothers, our students will now perhaps will read about Vaimanika Shastra. Instead of stem cells, they will be influenced to learn about how to create designer babies. After changing school text books to distort history, it's now science. The RSS-BJP brigade's march towards Hindu Rashtra continues, SRAI General Secretary Prabir Ghosh said.

Prof. Bikramaditya Kumar Choudhary from Jawaharlal Nehru University added: It is dangerous to mix religion with science, something which this project appears to be aiming to do. Students should be exposed to all kinds of knowledge. As much as one knows about a subject, he grows the ability to question it, analyse it and choose whether to believe it, follow it or otherwise.

The aim should be to foster and satiate students' inquisitiveness. But today, we see this tendency to kill this inquisitiveness. One might be killed for asking a question, and killers will justify it, saying the question hurt their religious beliefs.

It is about whether you want to make someone aware about a certain knowledge or imprint it on their minds.

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An explosive compound: RSS's latest plan to mix science and religion - Catch News

Evan Vucci, AP

President Donald Trump speaks at Krasinski Square at the Royal Castle, Thursday, July 6, 2017, in Warsaw.

The liberal reaction to Trumps Warsaw speech shows the element of truth in tribalism.

Trumps cheerleading for Western civilization in his recent speech in Poland might seem to be unremarkable boilerplate, anodyne boosterism in the service of uncontroversial platitudes. Certainly skepticism would be understandable concerning the messenger in this speech that included praise of women as pillars of our society and of our success and a pious reference to faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, (as) the center of our lives. The fundamental significance of the speech is clear only in light of the extreme liberal critiques that it provoked. If we had any doubt that Trump (or his speechwriter) was deeply right in calling for a defense of the West, such doubt was removed by the hollowness of the liberalism of his respondents.

Trumps speech connected somewhat vaguely, to be sure geo-political and military/security concerns with fundamental moral and cultural matters. He warned against forces from inside or out, from the South or the East, but judged our enemies to be doomed because our alliance is strong, our countries are resilient, and our power is unmatched. We are the fastest (?) and the greatest community. But beneath the economic and military power of the West he evoked a deeper strength of civilization: a fecundity that manifests itself in symphonies as well as in innovation, and that is grounded finally in the hope of every soul to live in freedom. The fate of our community of Western nations, he said, depends on the priceless ties that bind us together.

The liberal alarm in response to a speech that might not long ago have passed for pretty vanilla is a significant sign of the times. Peter Beinart in The Atlantic drives right to the extreme liberal judgment and minces no words: since Trump defends a certain civilization, the West, he is a religiously prejudiced racist. The West is a racial and religious term. Using what is becoming the liberals favorite term for lumping together all kinds of bigotry, Beinart concludes that Trump is speaking as the head of a tribe.

Well, that some tribe, isnt it! Socrates and Jesus, Dante and Dostoevsky, Aquinas and Einstein. But for our pure modern liberalism, any taint of identity, any preference, however reasoned and reasonable, for one way of life or one frame of thought over another puts the defender of civilization on the same level with the most vulgar ethnic nationalist or the most vicious racial supremacist.

The irony is that the openness and universalism that inspire the liberal critics of pro-Western sentiments are very much products of Western civilization, and specifically of the complicated alliance between Greek rationalism and Christianity. As Damon Linker noted in the most intelligent liberal assessment of the Warsaw speech, the West is a civilization that has come over the past century to identify the achievement of its highest ideals with the negation of its own distinctiveness. And that very tendency is itself an expression (in secularized and radicalized form) of a very Western idea that first arose with Christianity.

The reaction to Trump (and not only to this speech) demonstrates that we have now reached the limit of this self-negating capacity of the West, a key source of our unique richness and dynamism. The strength and diversity of the West has depended upon a certain equilibrium between its distinctive openness and universalism and its grounding in the traditions of distinct sovereign peoples. In however elementary a fashion, Trumps speech expresses this equilibrium. He praises innovation, free speech and expression, our tendency to debate everything challenge everything know everything.

At the same time, he hails the bonds of culture, faith and tradition that make us who we are. The spirit of this delicate equilibrium that defines Western civilization is best captured in Trumps reference to the hope of every soul to live in freedom not just every person, or every individual, but every soul. Freedom is a transcendent spiritual and philosophical ideal before it is a political claim or individual assertion.

As Linker writes, democracy, moral universalism, and egalitarianism are goods very much worth defending, but they are not the only goods worth defending. There is no simple formula for maintaining the Wests equilibrium; being open to the new and different while cherishing and preserving what is tried and true will never be easy. One thing is clear though. Todays liberal elites have proved themselves incompetent and unworthy to nurture this equilibrium of Western greatness. By embracing a pure and therefore hollow liberalism that is hard to distinguish from self-hatred, they make it clear how right Trump was in Warsaw to tout the culture, faith and tradition that make us who we are. Thats my kind of tribalism!

Ralph Hancock is a professor of political science at Brigham Young University and president of the John Adams Center for the Study of Faith, Philosophy and Public Affairs. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of BYU.

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Ralph Hancock: Trump's speech in Poland hit the right balance between tradition and innovation - Deseret News

Right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha has alleged that Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS) is a corrupt trust and called for a probe against them. The outfit added that even though four years have passed ever since the murder of Narendra Dabholkar but no breakthrough has been achieved yet. Despite carrying out an inquiry against Sanatan Sanstha no evidence has been established about its involvement in the murder of Dabholkar. The outfit added that ANiS followers and former Democratic Front government had carried out flawed investigation and hence the culprits are running scot free. It said that they have distorted facts and are misleading the people. An inquiry should be held into Dabholkars scam-tainted ANiS Trust.

Shambu Gaware spokesperson of Santan Sanstha said, If the investigation agencies really have to crack the Dabholkar murder case then they must conduct a probe into the dealings of ANiS Trust. They need to investigate about the names of vested interests involved in the scam. A probe must be conducted about who received financial benefits? Are these beneficiaries connected with the killing of Dabholkar in anyway? Some headway can be made into this case if inquiry of all Trustees of ANiS Trust and those dealing with financial transaction of the Trust are conducted.

Abhay Vartak, National spokesperson of Santan Sanstha said, An inquiry must be conducted into Dabholkars scam tainted ANiS Trust. However the Police have not investigated into the matter in that direction. A re-inquiry should be held in details into the working of the Trust as the earlier inquiry was conducted very superficially in view of serious irregularities in Trusts working.

In the records obtained by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti by using RTI Act, many serious remarks were made by the Superintendent of Public Trust Registration office, Satara, while auditing the working of Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samitis Trust. These remarks include recommendations such as appointing an Administrator of the Trust, carry out special audit in view of the scams indulged in by the Trust.

On Monday, Dr. Rajendra Kankaria of ANiS had said that Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti should be prevented from fighting against Islamic State.

Dr. Rajendra Kankaria should himself go to Iraq and Syria to educate the terrorists of Islamic State. Those who are calling the Indian soldiers as rapists and Army Chief as ruffian will also address the Hindutvavadis as terrorists. Dr. Kankaria, instead of delivering lectures in Pune should send a team of ANiS to Kashmir to stop the stone-pelters by enlightening them in rationalism, added Mr. Gaware.

On the other hand, Shyam Manav, organiser of Andhshradda Nirumulan Samiti refuted all the allegations made against his outfit. He said, The allegations made against our outfit are baseless and unjustified. CBI is investigating Narendra Dabholkars case while Maharashtra government is probing the Govind Pansares case. We have not received any amount from the state or central government. Sanatan should tender an apology for making false allegations against us.

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Sanathan Sanstha demands - Afternoon Voice

Empiricism v. rationalism

THE EMPIRICISTS: Empiricists share the view that there is no such thing as innate knowledge, and that instead knowledge is derived from experience (either sensed via the five senses or reasoned via the brain or mind). Locke, Berkeley, and Hume are empiricists (though they have very different views about metaphysics).

The rationalists: Rationalists share the view that there is innate knowledge; they differ in that they choose different objects of innate knowledge. Plato is a rationalist because he thinks that we have innate knowledge of the Forms [mathematical objects and concepts (triangles, equality, largeness), moral concepts (goodness, beauty, virtue, piety), and possibly color he doesnt ever explicitly state that there are Forms of colors]; Descartes thinks that the idea of God, or perfection and infinity, and knowledge of my own existence is innate; G.W. Leibniz thinks that logical principles are innate; and Noam Chomsky thinks that the ability to use language (e.g., language rules) is innate.

Empiricism (In favor of Empiricism, against Rationalism):

1. Empiricism is Simpler: Compared to Empiricism, Rationalism has one more entity that exists: Innate knowledge. According to the Empiricist, the innate knowledge is unobservable and inefficacious; that is, it does not do anything. The knowledge may sit there, never being used. Using Ockhams Razor (= when deciding between competing theories that explain the same phenomena, the simpler theory is better),1 Empiricism is the better theory.

2. Colors: How would you know what the color blue looks like if you were born blind? The only way to come to have the idea of blue is to experience it with your senses. (This objection only works possibly against Plato; see the introduction above again to see why this objection would not faze Descartes, Leibniz, or Chomsky.)

3. Imagination and Experience: How can we get the idea of perfect triangularity? We can extrapolate from our experience with crooked, sensible triangles and use our imagination to straighten out what is crooked and see what perfect triangularity is.

4. Rationalists have been Wrong about Their Innate Knowledge: Some medieval rationalists claimed that the notion of a vacuum was rationally absurd and hence it was impossible for one to exist. However, we have shown that it is possible.2 Reason is not the only way to discover the truth about a matter.

5. The Advance of Science: Much of science is founded on empiricist principles, and would not have advanced without it. If we base our conclusions about the world on empiricism, we can change our theories and improve upon them and see our mistakes. A rationalist seems to have to say that weve discovered innate knowledge and then be embarrassed if he or she is ever wrong (see examples such as the vacuum, above).

6. All Rationalists do Not Agree about Innate Knowledge: Rationalists claim that there is innate knowledge that gives us fundamental truths about reality, but even among rationalists (e.g., Plato, who believes in reincarnation and Forms and Descartes, who does not believe in either but does believe in a soul), there is disagreement about the nature of reality, the self, etc. How can this be, if there is innate knowledge of these things?

Rationalism (In favor of Rationalism, against Empiricism):

1. Math and Logic are Innate: Doesnt it seem that mathematical and logical truths are true not because of our five senses, but because of reasons ability to connect ideas?

2. Morality is Innate: How do we get a sense of what right and wrong are with our five senses? Since we cannot experience things like justice, human rights, moral duties, moral good and evil with our five senses, what can the empiricists ethical theory like? Hume (an empiricist) says morality is based solely on emotions; Locke says experience can provide us with data to show what is morally right and wrong, but does it seem that way to you?

3. Verifying Empiricism: Locke (an empiricist) says that our experiences tell us about the nature of reality, but how can we ever check our experience with what reality really is, in order to know that? Rationalists do not think we can, so we have to rely on reason.

4. Poverty of Stimulus Problem: Three year olds use language in ways that they are not explicitly taught. For example, they form original sentences from words that they havent heard put together in precisely that way before. Also, they start to understand grammatical rules before they even know what a noun or a verb is. If we can only say what weve heard said by others, how can three year olds speak as well as they do? This is known as the poverty of stimulus problem. You may think that Rationalism is strange, but it does a better job of explaining this problem than Empiricism. One way of choosing which of two theories is better (in addition to or instead of Ockhams Razor see Empiricism point #1 above) is asking, Which theory explains the phenomena better?1

5. Empiricism Undermines Creativity? According to Empiricism, you can combine things, separate them, and nothing else. With Rationalism, we come to experience with ready-made tools for creativity. E.g., Plato would say that were in touch with abstract, immutable realities, which provide lots of material with which to create.

6. Controllable Humans? According to Empiricism, human beings can be controlled and manipulated exceptionally easily. If we are nothing other than what we experience, then we should be able to be made to do whatever were taught. Rationalism has it that there is an invariable core (call it human nature) that refuses to be manipulated, which is what makes us unique.

Notes:

1 I hasten to add that Ockham's Razor is simply a rule of thumb, and that I would recommend that the reader track down an excellent paper by Elliot Sober, entitled, "Let's Razor Ockham's Razor," wherein he demonstrates that if one uses Ockham's razor in a certain case of evolutionary biology, one will choose the wrong theory to explain the phenomena, because the situation is more complex than it may seem. I am persuaded by this argument and think we should not use Ockham's razor; I have it here because people seem to like using it, but hopefully they will be persuaded by Dr. Sober's argument as I am. 2 I have recently seen an episode of "Through the Wormhole" with God, I mean, Morgan Freeman, and scientists have apparently discovered that, even in a vaccum, there are some sort of subatomic particles there, so there is no such thing as nothing, or that even nothing is something.

2013 by David J. Yount

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Empiricism versus Rationalism

Founder of the Goa Science Forum, Somu Rao from Panaji will deliver a lecture on Superstition and the relevance of Article 51 A (h) today at Museum of Goa (MOG), Pilerne. NT BUZZ finds out the need to demystify myths and understand the scientific reasoning behind superstitions

VENITA GOMES | NT BUZZ

You must have quite often heard people saying: today is not going to be a good day because a black cat just crossed my path or today is Friday the 13 something bad is bound to happen or someone is talking bad about me as my left eye is constantly twitching since morning. Such beliefs are widely termed as superstitions. They are generally irrational beliefs in supernatural influences, especially leading to good or bad luck or a practice-based on such a belief. There is a need to understand the origin of such belief and its relevance in todays world.

Somu Rao from Panaji, for many years, has been working to provide scientific explanation to such beliefs by making people aware of Article 51 A (h)- that states that it is the fundamental duty of every citizen of the country to inculcate scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform in everyday life. Rao says: Superstition is any belief or practise which is irrational; it may arise from ignorance, misunderstanding of science, blindly believing in fate or magic, or fear of that is unknown. Through our organisation The Goa Science Forum we try to demystify myths related to natural phenomena and explain superstations giving scientific explanation. We also address myths related to health problems to help people get rid of fear of the unknown and phobias. So, that they do not get exploited by people claiming to possess supernatural powers (defying laws of nature).

Sharing some of the most common superstitions believed by people, Rao says: Superstitions like cat crossing the path or hanging lemon and chillies, evil eye have existed since many years. The latest superstition right now that is going on in the South Indian states is the breaking of the red coral stone from the mangalsutra. Married ladies are breaking the red coral stone from the mangalsutra because rumours are that the lady will create health problems for her husband, so there is a mad rush to break it from mangalsutra.

Rao explains that there is a need to question everything in order to avoid ignorance which leads to belief in myths and superstitions. He says: Scientific temper is a way of life. An individual needs to go through the social process of thinking and acting. He can adopt scientific methods which may include questioning, observing physical reality, testing, hypothesising, analysing, and communicating. This means that we should question everything by using science in order to find the truth.

In order to promote Article 51 A (h) Rao has started a voluntary organisation The Goa Science Forum. He has conducted several programmes on scientific temper and has conducted more than 1500 lectures, demonstrations and training workshops on scientific temper in Goa and other states of India. He has even participated in many international, national seminar/conferences on science communication, humanism, etc. He is currently conducting advance training workshops on scientific temper which is a residential programme of five days.

Rao is also the secretary of Federation of Indian Rationalist Association (FIRA) which is a federation of around 87 organisations in India, which works to promote rationalism, humanism in society. The organisation also holds awareness programmes to promote inter-religious and inter-cast marriages; awareness programmes to eradicate superstitions and promote organ donation, etc.

Since the age of 12 Rao has been interested in understanding the basis of such superstitions, he says: Reading different types of books right from childhood gave me lot of information on different subjects. Some of the information I had turned out to be irrational later. Like the information that saints performed miracles, evidence for the existence of ghosts, especially eye witness account of seeing ghost, supernatural claims of so called god men, etc. Scientific evidence to demystify myths and superstitions I learnt gradually. The learning process that started at the age of 12 is still on. I am still learning.

Rao is also associated with the Indian Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). Speaking about the work carried out by (CSICOP), he says: The organisation was formed by B Premanand to study and investigate claims of paranormal. Some of the cases investigated so far are related to claims of rebirth, claims of supernatural powers of god man and other pseudoscience claims.

(Lecture on Superstition and the relevance of Article 51 A (h) will be held today at 11 a.m. at MOG, Pilerne.)

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Dispelling myths through science - The Navhind Times

Asmaras Catholic Cathedral, an example of the citys Italian heritage Photograph: Ed Harris/Reuters

Standing as a startling collection of futuristic Italian architecture from the 1930s, perched on a desert mountaintop high above the Red Sea, the Eritrean capital of Asmara has been listed as a Unesco world heritage site.

Announced as one of a series of new inscriptions, which are expected to include German caves with ice-age art and the English Lake District, Asmara is the first modernist city in the world to be listed in its entirety.

First planned in the 1910s by the Italian architect-engineer Odoardo Cavagnari, Asmara was lavishly furnished with new buildings after Mussolinis invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, when the sleepy colonial town was transformed into Africas most modern metropolis. As the little Rome at the centre of Italys planned African empire, it became a playground for Italian architects to experiment.

It has an unparalleled collection of buildings that show the variety of styles of the period, said Edward Denison, a lecturer at UCLs Bartlett School of Architecture, who has been working as an adviser to the Asmara Heritage Project, helping to put together the 1,300-page bid document, the result of two decades of research. You get a sense that the architects were getting away with things here that they certainly wouldnt have been able to do in Rome.

From the daring cantilevered wings of the Fiat Tagliero service station, modelled on a soaring aeroplane, to the sumptuous surrounds of the Impero cinema, the city is full of buildings that combine Italian futurist motifs with local methods of construction.

Behind the sharp cubic facades stand walls of large laterite stone blocks, carefully rendered to look like modernist concrete constructions, finished in shades of ochre, brown, pale blue and green much more colourful than their European counterparts.

Some buildings, such as the Orthodox cathedral, have a bold hybrid style, with African monkey head details of wooden dowels poking through the facade, originally used to to bind horizontal layers of wood together between the blocks of stone.

Elsewhere, there are handsome villas, stylish shops and heroic factory complexes, sampling from modernisms broad palette, including novecento, rationalism and futurism, most of which remain in an unusually well-preserved state.

While other countries like Libya and Somalia were understandably keen to trash their colonial heritage, said Denison, Eritrea was subject to a decade of British rule and 40 years of Ethiopian rule, so the process was more gradual.

When independence finally came in the 1990s, a sudden rash of modern buildings made many realise the value of their colonial heritage.

A moratorium on building in the city was established in 2001, which is now planned to be lifted with the introduction of a new conservation management plan, updating the regulations for the first time since the 1930s.

The inscription of Asmara along with historical centre of Mbanza Kongo in Angola goes some way to addressing the under-representation of Africa on the Unesco world heritage list. Of 814 cultural sites worldwide, only 48 are in the African continent, fewer than in Italy alone.

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The Italian architecture that shaped new world heritage site Asmara - The Guardian

Years ago, John Fairchild had a name for the type of fashion editor who early on embraced the shroudlike avant-garde side of the Eighties, and who appeared to fall into a state of rapture at shows she loved. That name: fashion nun. It wasnt a compliment.

Would that Mr. Fairchild were around today, to sit down with Valentinos Pierpaolo Piccioliover a good bottle of red andengage in some serious guy talk about fashion. Perhaps the younger might convince the older that theres nothing wrong with a little fashion religion.

Hed at least make an impressive case.Piccioli believes genuinely in the power of fashion, couture in particular, to elevate the spirit. Some may find that thought itself profane. At a preview, he explained his premise. Inthis moment, everything is digital and about rationalism, Piccioli said. I think all of us are looking for something more spiritual, beyond reality. This is really close to the idea of couture because every aspect of the sacred is expressed by rituals, and couture is made by rituals. Sacred is what is beyond reality, what you dont see but you just feel, you just perceive. What makes couture special, unique and magical is what you dont see all the ritual to arrive at the piece.

Piccioli called his fall collection a reflection about the sacred. He was inspired by ecclesiastical garments and the religious portraits of 17th-century painter Francisco de Zurbarn, but also by the prettiest of pagan deities, Venus.

The results were Heaven-sent. That Piccioli turns out a spectacular evening gown is hardly a surprise. His Valentino has made covered-up evening dressing not only alluring, but also cool, no small feat in this era of the social media sexpot on endless display. What intrigues now and whats essential for the brand is the way hes advancing the look. For fall, he scaled back significantly on the decorative flourish so expected in couture, to work more with an iconoclastic minimalism based on dramatic volumes that fall away from the body, some with that monastic aura. Yet hes no religious zealot; Piccioli also showed a number of intricately collaged gowns and a pair of billowing beauties one pink, one red to befit the chicest of storybook heroines.

Still, the collections bigger news was its daywear, cut with all of the obsessive perfection inherent in couture, but not a trace of madame attitude. Rather, Piccioli took a separates approach, layering on piece after piece: long unfettered coats or more statement-y capes over vests over dresses over shirts over pants, all in slightly dissonant colors. Will the couture client go for it? Lets hope; lets pray. No, lets not pray. Theyre fabulous, but as Mr. Fairchild would say, theyre only clothes.

More From ParisHaute CoutureWeek Fall 2017:

Chanel Couture Fall 2017:Karl Lagerfeld focused on an essential tenet shared by the Eiffel Tower and couture itself: perfection of structure.

Backstage at Christian Dior Couture Fall 2017:Peter Philips and Guido Palau fashioned the beauty look of the show.

Atelier Versace Couture Fall 2017:The collection blended Baroque references and rock n roll with a soupon of 3-D printing.

Iris van Herpen Couture Fall 2017:For her 10th anniversary show, the designer sent out aquatic-themed creations to a performance by underwater group Between Music.

Paris Couture Gains Extra Day as Confidence Returns: Frances Chambre Syndicale de laHaute Couturehas welcomed five brands as guest members on this seasons schedule.

Read the original here:

Valentino Couture Fall 2017 - WWD

The latest Census release show those ticking "no religion" rose to 29.6 per cent, and for the first time in Australia's history it has overtaken Catholics. So are we becoming a nation of non-believers?

New South Wales has our most religious suburb, according to Census 2016 data.

AUSTRALIAS most religious and non-religious postcodes have been revealed in the latest Census data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Ninety-three per cent of residents in the New South Wales postcode 2190, which encompasses the suburbs Greenacre and Chullora, in Sydneys south-west,stated they had a religious, secular or other spiritual belief, according to information consultants at the ABS.

The area has been identified as Australias most religious.

Nearly half (41.4 per cent) of the population claimed a religious affiliation to Islam and the same percentage spoke Arabic, while 23.1 per cent identified as Catholic.

Only 6.1 per cent stated they had no religion.

Also included were 11 people (0.04 per cent) who said they had a secular belief which the ABS said could include agnosticism, atheism, humanism, rationalism and others not classified.

According to Census stats, the most common ancestry of residents in the area was Lebanese (31.1 per cent), followed by Australian (10.1 per cent) and English (7.1 per cent).

While 53.3 per cent of residents were born in Australia, 68.6 per cent had both parents born overseas, with the highest percentage coming from Lebanon.

The figures were based on postal areas with at least 100 usual residents, and based on persons who answered the question regarding religion (which is not compulsory).

Census stats reveal an insight into Australias most religious postcode.Source:Supplied

A whopping 72.7 per cent of households spoke a language other than English, while the median age was 33 years old. Children aged 0-14 made up almost a quarter of the population. (24.1 per cent).

One of the suburbs, Greenacre, is home to Australias largest Islamic School, the Malek Fahd Islamic School, which is fighting to keep its federal government funding.

According to The Conversation, Muslims were almost entirely absent from many neighbourhoods and suburbs, and there were only a few (located in Melbourne and Sydney) where they made up more than 50 per cent of the population. This includes the neighbouring suburb of Lakemba.

Despite fears Australia is becoming a Muslim country, those ticking no religion in the Census has now overtaken the number of Catholics.

Its the first time in Australias history the number of people who claim no religion has overtaken Catholics, although the number of Christians in total still made up 51 per cent of the population.

The least religious suburb according to the ABS is found on the other side of the country, in a small, sleepy town in Western Australia with the postcode 6705, where 66.5 per cent of the population in Gascoyne Junction stated that they had no religion.

The area includes heritage-listed sites from early colonial Australian days and has a high proportion of indigenous people.

More than half (58.4 per cent) of the 278 people who live in the area, identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Other suburbs that have been identified as particularly unholy include Melbournes terrace-lined North Fitzroy, while Fairfax is reporting Erskineville in Sydneys inner-west was now officially Australias most ungodly suburb.

Nationally, the latest Census drop showed those ticking no religion rose from 22.6 per cent to 29.6 per cent nearly double the 16 per cent in 2001.

Meanwhile, those identifying as Catholic dropped from 25.3 per cent to 22.6 per cent.

The number of Christians in total still made up 51 per cent of the population, but this is much less than the 88 per cent in 1966 and 74 per cent in 1991.

Islam (2.6 per cent) and Buddhism (2.4 per cent) were the next most common religions reported.

Those who did not answer the religion question, which is a non-compulsory question in the Census, was 9.6 per cent, up slightly from 9.2 per cent in 2011.

We remain a predominantly English speaking country, with 72.7 per cent of people reporting they speak only English at home. Tasmania had the highest rate of people speaking only English at home with 88 per cent, while the Northern Territory had the lowest rate at 58 per cent.

An earlier release of Census data in April showed the typical Australian was now a 38-year-old married woman with two children.

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Australia's most religious and non-religious postcodes based on who answered the Census question regarding religion - NEWS.com.au

Its no surprise that men continue to dominate major leadership positions across almost all industry sectors in Australia.

Meanwhile, most women continue to go un-recognised for their efforts, with more than two thirds of major, non-gendered accolades going to men.

But, what if it were the other way around?

We posed the question to a number of Australian businesswomen: What would change if there were more women in leadership?

Katrina Barry, Managing Director at Contiki, the travel company that has perfected the art of travel for 18-35 year olds

If there was a balance of women and men in leadership, traditional gender roles of breadwinner and homemaker would be shattered with the sexes needing to share responsibility.

In the current environment, more pressure is placed on men to be the sole or majority earner and this often leads to sub-optional career choices based on securing the right path or highest paying job.

If both men and women had the ability to break stereotype and pursue passions rather than financial outcomes then both might find better fit and greater satisfaction, also a greater productivity and economic performance that correlates to more women in leadership.

Kate Morris, CEO and founder, Adore Beauty Australias leading online shopping destination for beauty and cosmetics.

With more women in leadership, Australian companies would all be more successful!

There are numerous studies showing that gender-diverse leadership produces better business outcomes, including profitability, innovation, customer experience, and employee retention. Particularly in retail where women are responsible for 85% of purchasing decisions there is a very strong business case for having more women in leadership positions.

Rebekah Campbell, co founder of Hey You, the order ahead app

Becoming a mother has fundamentally changed my outlook and the way my brain works. Mothers have hyperactive empathy programming. We couldnt tolerate harm to anyones children and were all someones child.

Mothers are also very future focussed. We value theworldwere passing on to our children over the lifestyles we lead today. Ifmore womenand mums were in leadership rolesthen climate change, environmental protection, the fight against infectious diseases, peace and equality would outrank economic rationalism and small-minded protectionism.

Taryn Williams, Founder & CEO, theright.fit

I think the world would improve if more women were in leadership, because we would build better, more balanced and representative workplaces.

As a tech founder, Im incredibly passionate about increasing the number of women who study STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and helping them to see that working in a tech company is a viable (and exciting!) career option for them.

When a business of any kind, but especially a technology company, has a good representation of different ages, ethnicities, and importantly genders, working in the company, we build better products that serve the needs of the client better because all the needs of the market are understood and represented. This makes for more successful and more profitable companies, so to me, its a no brainer!

DrAmantha Imber, Founder and CEO, Inventium, Australias leading Innovation Consultancy

Women have been shown to be decidedly more suited to management positions than their male counterparts, naturally ranking higher in general than men in their abilities to innovate and lead with clarity and impact.

Having a more balanced female view would bring much-needed diversity to the discussions. Diversity is hugely beneficial for innovation, and the world can always do with more of that.

JulieDemsey, General Manager, SBE Australia delivering the Springboard Enterprises Accelerator program supporting female lead tech companies ingrowing and scaling their businesses.

Having more women leading businesses will help us eradicate gender bias bothconsciousandunconscious.

Young girls and boys alike benefit from seeing strong, successfulfemales leading healthy profitable businesses. They will expect this to be the norm and see this as how the world is rather than how it could or should be. As these beliefs change, so too will the tendency for bias and we will find an equality in the workplace. I hope to see this in my lifetime.

Kristy Chong, CEO & Founder of Modibodi, the revolutionary womens high-tech underwear company that empowers women of all ages, shapes and sizes to live a better life.

As for major changes, we paint women out to be nurturers and peacemakers but I do not think these qualities are female specific. The major beliefs and attitudes between men and women in Australia are mostly the same, but the resources to support women and the education around equality and what that means is still lacking.

As a result Australia is still a male dominated society.

So if more women leaders we would achieve equality, because ultimately we have more to gain.

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Seven businesswomen on what would change if more leaders were female - Women's Agenda