The case of the missing scientific Indian

Source: The post is based on the article “The case of the missing scientific Indian” published in The Hindu on 24^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

News: This 75th year of Independence is a major milestone for India. This is a time to take stock of the developments in science education in India over the last seven decades.

In the 1950s and 1960s, a solid foundation for modern science was built by Indian scientists. They were facilitated by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

However, despite making significant scientific advancement in research fields, India has failed to propagate scientific literacy and scientific temper, not only among the public, but also among scientists themselves.

What are the causes for loss of scientific temper?

(1) Scientists themselves have been part of the problem. The eminent molecular biologist, Pushpa Bhargava, resigned from the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences in 1994, protesting the lack of commitment to “science-related social problems” by the scientist occupying high positions.

(2) Lack of commitment to scientific temper: Pushpa Bhargava once said, the bulk of scientists in the country, were themselves not committed to scientific temper which calls for rationality, reason and lack of belief in any dogma, superstition or manifest falsehood. Therefore, India has not produced any Nobel Prize winner in science since 1930

(3) India has provided a fertile ground for pseudoscience to prevail. For example, an astrology course was introduced in a national open university and there is official backing of the therapeutic properties of cow excreta despite no scientific validation of this.

(4) Onslaught of disinformation: Side by side the information revolution, there are currents of onslaught of fake news, conspiracy theories and manufactured ‘truths’ on the internet world. This disinformation weakens human rights and many elements of democracy.

(5) The politicians and administrators have not moved away from their blind beliefs towards scientific temper.

What have been the consequences of loss of scientific temper?

It has left much of our national psyche a prisoner of obscurantism. It has paved the way for retrogressive religion-based politics at the expense of constitutionally guaranteed secular values.

What should be the future course of action?

Fundamental Duties: Article 51A of the Constitution, inserted through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, says, “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.”

The Western lesson to denounce pseudoscience: Several years ago, when some Christian revivalist groups in the U.S. wanted Creationism into the science curriculum as an alternate theory to the scientific theory of the origin of the human species, the proposals were summarily decried, and rejected by the National Academy of Sciences.

It should be kept in mind that “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge”. There should be evidence-based decisions and the development of critical thinking using time-tested and successful methodologies followed in science.

The science academies have a role to inspire the country to attain greater science literacy among the public.