Western intellectuals are not idiots
1. He says: “Doniger translates “dharma” as “religion”. Apparently, Indians should not criticize that because we know neither what the English word “religion” means nor do we know what “dharma”…
Read moreSpirituality = Adhyatma?
One could justifiably see spirituality (the Jewish, Christian and Islamic) as ‘Adhyatma’ if one focusses on the psychological transformations that a human being undergoes in the process of moving from…
Read moreTruth, belief, intentionality, eudaimonia, ought
I want to respond to three of your points Claus. First you are not talking only about the Greeks and the Romans because all the problems arising with respect to…
Read moreStupidity of Indian meanings of English words
Note: For a broader application and context, please read this paper: translation, interpretation and culture 1. The word ‘temple’ is not used in English to refer to a place where…
Read moreTranslation or Random Substitution: Worship and Puja
1. Firstly, you want to know whether there is anything intrinsically wrong with performing idol worship the way it is with robbery. Let us assume that we agree we know…
Read moreHow would one translate the word ‘God’ into, say, Sanskrit?
Here is the question: How would one translate the word ‘God’ into, say, Sanskrit? Now, the answer has to satisfy certain conditions because the question also meets certain conditions. Let…
Read moreBullshit: True Sentences and Trivialization of Knowledge
Why understanding bullshit is important? Three reasons: (a) there is a very frequent use of the word ‘bullshit’ (mostly in my posts); (b) bullshit has been tied directly to truth…
Read moreTranslating vibhaktis
The problem is more complicated and the implications far more massive than either of us can even dream of. In fact, I think we are not even aware of the…
Read moreTranslation, Interpretation and Culture: On the disingenuity of a comparative theology
[Published: Canadian Social Science 10(5) 39-47, 2014] Check Balu’s paper on comparative theology, and in particular Francis Clooney’s: Translation, interpretration and culture: on the disingenuity of a comparative theology
Read moreCreation: Spontaneous or Intentional
If we want to grasp the nature of the discussions in the Indian traditions, there is much we need to do beforehand: (a) identify the entity they were talking about;…
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