Criticism: you are not studying Ancient India!
I do not see why I have to study the history of the last 4000 years to understand modern India. To the extent past becomes relevant (my research into some…
Read moreCriticism: you are ‘Westernized’!
About the possibility that I was already ‘westernized’ by the time I became a teenager. Even this question is wrongly posed. I am not claiming that there is some ‘authentic’…
Read morePuja and Worship
X says: if “pujya” means “worthy of worship”, wouldn’t “puja” mean worship? ‘Pujya’ means “deserving of ‘puja’”. If ‘puja’ translated as ‘worship’, quite obviously one translates ‘pujya’ as you do. You…
Read moreGod, Devil (Satan), and Polytheism
It is true that the modern Jewish thought, which is more influenced by the Rabbinic than by apocalyptic or Qumranic literature, places less emphasis on the Devil. Rabbinic Judaism was…
Read moreAre Muslims ‘Mohammedans’?
Let me begin by Mujeeb’s objection to calling the Islamic people ‘Mohammedans’. Mujib’s objection was that the Muslims do not worship Mohammed, and Naseem spoke of it as an insulting…
Read moreMultiple meanings: puja, thondam—S.N. Balagangadhara
About the multiple meanings for the Puja of Ganesha. Of course, there is no one ‘meaning’ to this act either now, or before, or in the future, as far as…
Read moreWhose view is better?—S.N.Balagangadhara
“Every one of us believes our own viewpoint to be the best one: such is human nature.” This is not quite how I would put it. Let me, therefore say…
Read moreSimulation of social and cultural changes?—S.N. Balagangadhara
A question: Is it desirable to have a model that can simulate social and cultural changes? I cannot see what good reason there is not to find it desirable. It…
Read moreCritisim: are you a genius?
It appears that Sir Isaac Newton was frequently complimented for being the greatest genius the world had ever known. One of his replies is alleged to have been the following:…
Read moreHow to produce knowledge about people and their cultures?—S.N. Balagangadhara
1. Let us begin in a very intuitive way and ask ourselves this question: where do we encounter ‘cultural differences’? In human contacts, of course. What kind of human contacts?…
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