Is ‘sat’ ‘being’? S.N.Balagangadhara
[For extended discussion on sat, truth, etc, check this paper.] To take German language, let us look at how Heidegger talks about ‘being’: there is the ‘big Being’ (‘Sein’) and…
Read moreProfessional Competence
The ascription of professional competence to oneself when one does not have that. Each is in a position to say what ‘the Caste System’ is, what ‘ethics’ is, what ‘corruption’…
Read moreRationality and Rhetoric
1. It is in the nature of a rhetorical text that the author uses linguistic ‘tropes’ (metaphors, similes, analogies, imagery, etc) to persuade a reader about the reasonableness of a…
Read moreOn Patrick Hogan’s ‘Why Hindus should be grateful to Wendy Doniger’—S.N.Balagangadhara
Dear Patrick Hogan, It is jolly good of you, as the British say, to contribute to the ‘literary landscapes’ column in Sulekha at this particular juncture. I am glad too…
Read morePresumption of Knowledge—S.N.Balagangadhara
The first striking thing is their presumption of knowledge at several levels. Yet, they display abysmal ignorance. (a) Christianity has not just had a two thousand years’ history. It has…
Read moreHow to produce knowledge about “Who is a Christian”—S.N.Balagangadhara
Imagine that I were to say the following: Christ and Ganesha are manifestations of the same divinity; Christ came about 2000 years ago in the Middle East, whereas Ganesha is…
Read moreCriticism: you are spreading hate
Criticism: You are spreading hate by citing Deschner’s work– Kriminalgeschichte des Christentums and ANY idiot knows even the title is stupid. I have not cited a single atrocity that Christianity has committed…
Read moreLegislations against proselytization: a weakness of Indian culture –S.N. Balagangadhara
Question: One thing that Balu says is that propping up legislations against tricky proselytizations reflects the weaknesses of Indian culture needs to be explained though. How is it a weakness?…
Read moreMeanings and Historical Context: the arguments from Indian scholars –S.N.Balagangadhara
1. Consider the thought that ‘meanings’ (leave aside the distinction between words and sentences on the one hand and concepts and categories on the other) do not exist outside historical…
Read moreOn Will Sweetman’s Criticism—S.N.Balagangadhara
[For more, check Orientalism, Postcolonialism, and the ‘Construction’ of Religion ] Let me just focus on one important and one not-so-important claim from Will Sweetman’s article “Hinduism” and the history…
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