CONTEMPORARY INDIA

ASSIGNMENT NO.3
Made by: Utkarsh Bajaj(BJMC- 1 SHIFT)(2019- 22)

SCIENTIFIC TEMPER
The Scientific temper is a way of life (defined in this context as
an individual and social process of thinking and acting) which
uses the scientific method and which may, consequently, include
questioning, observing physical reality, testing, hypotheism,
analysing, and communicating (not necessarily in that order).
"Scientific temper" describes an attitude which involves the
application of logic. Discussion, argument and analysis are vital
parts of scientific temper. Elements of fairness, equality and
democracy are built into it. jawaharlal nehru was the first to use the
phrase in 1946. He later gave a descriptive explanation:

"[What is needed] is the scientific approach, the adventurous and

yet critical temper of science, the search for truth and
new knowledge, the refusal to accept anything without testing and
trial, the capacity to change previous conclusions in the face of
new evidence, the reliance on observed fact and not on pre-
conceived theory, the hard discipline of the mind—all this is
necessary, not merely for the application of science but for life
itself and the solution of its many problems." —jawaharlal
nehru(1946) The.discovery of india, p. 512

Nehru wrote that the scientific temper goes beyond the

domains to whicht science is conventionally understood to
be limited to, and deals also with the consideration of
ultimate purposes, beauty, goodness and truth. Nehru also
contended that the scientific temper is the opposite of the
method of religion, which relies on emotion and intuition and
is (mis)applied "to everything in life, even to those things
which are capable of intellectual inquiry and observation."
While religion tends to close the mind and produce
"intolerance, credulity and superstition, emotionalism and
irrationalism", and "a temper of a dependent, unfree person",
a scientific temper "is the temper of a free man". He also
indicated that the scientific temper goes
beyond objectivity and fosters creativity and progress. He
envisioned that the spread of scientific temper would be
accompanied by a shrinking of the domain of religion, and
"the exciting adventure of fresh and never ceasing
discoveries, of new panoramas opening out and new ways
of living, adding to [life's] fullness and ever making it richer
and more complete. Nehru states (that) "It is science alone
that can solve the problems of hunger and poverty, of
insanitation and illitracy, of superstition and deadening
custom and tradition, of vast resources running to waste, of
a rich country inhabited by starving people.

The genesis and development of the idea of the scientific

temper is connected to ideas expressed earlier by Charls
darwin  when he said, "[F]reedom of thought is best
promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds, which
follows from the advance of science, and by karl marks when
he said, "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the
heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless
conditions. It is the opeum of the people. The abolition of
religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the
demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up
 their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give
up a condition that requires illusions."

"To develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of

inquiry and reform" is one of the fundamental duties of the
people of the Republic of india, according to the Constitution
of india.[6]

ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC TEMPER

The scientific method calls for inquisition. Humans are emotional

and passionate creatures and often make the wrong decision
when comes to matters of importance. The scientific method
helps us make better decisions and provides a rational outlook
towards problems that we are facing.
The best time to educate students in scientific approach and
critical thinking is by making sure that the curriculum is created
keeping this vision in mind. Children are naturally curious, asking
questions, and wondering how things work is a natural question
that comes to everyone. This approach towards life should be
nurtured, nourished and encouraged throughout the education
system. The importance of inculcating a scientific temper early on
among students cannot be emphasised enough. Rote learning
needs to be replaced with a curriculum which focuses on
developing reasoning abilities and critical thinking. However this
line of reasoning is often threatening to dogma. This spirit of
inquisition is often responsible for fighting superstition, false
beliefs and challenging orthodoxy.
With a population of over 1.25 billion, India has a huge stockpile
of manpower at its disposal. However this does not mean that
directing this young workforce towards positive goals is easy.
Easy availability of the internet is another powerful tool that brings
people together and facilitates communication. However there is
also the danger of spreading misinformation through misuse of
technology and consequently the same workforce can be a big
source of trouble.
India has approximately 47% population under 21 [Census 2001].
This alone shows the importance of imparting scientific education
to the young population. Armed with critical thinking and 'question
everything' attitude is the only way for progress. Addressing the
problems of this fast growing population is a big concern and this
issue is going to get big with time. Providing/creating enough jobs,
healthcare, social support, housing, etc. are going to be big
issues that need immediate addressing. And a scientific approach
is a structured and organised way to address those problems.
The benefits of having a science literate populace are plenty. The
main advantage being able to make major life decisions
particularly related to lifestyle, finance or politics. A scientific
person questions the status quo. And often this leads to
innovation both in technology as well as social sphere. Saying
that scienti

Dificulty ni Implimentation

There are several factors responsible for the pity state of scientific
temper and ever worsening scenario we face today. These can be
broadly categorized as based on the social environment and those
based on the educational exposure that a person has got in early
life.
People are highly influenced by mythologies and fables foretold by
the elderly of the family and passed from generations to
generations through word of mouth, at an early age. This not only
supplants fake ideas like earth being balanced on the horns of
bulls, Flat earth theory, at an early age but also nurtures such line
of thinking. Such people grow up believing in presence of super
natural forces that govern the planet.

Many a time use of symbolism in religious texts or old sagas is

taken up in literal sense by the readers and preachers. Lord
Ganesha and his elephant like appearance is an symbolism for
calm demeanor and might. It is saddening that the fables around it
are being misinterpreted by Prime Minister at public pulpits as the
evidence of first ever plastic surgery. At times such old texts have
outrageous implications that are not true like the ‘Pushpak Viman’
and existence of beasts like Rahu and Ketu that cause the eclipses.

The authoritative attitude of religious leaders and the population,

towards these texts means that people are discouraged from
having a healthy logical discussion about it at an early age. It is
considered a moral crime to question what is being preached or
written just because it has been written in a book. Scientific
Temper itself is the tendency to not accept anything new until its
proved or tested.

This phenomenon is true even in our regular classroom parlance;

Students are expected to accept what is given in the textbooks and
not question the basis or the implications it has. Even most
science teachers decimate a student if he tries to doubt what’s
given in book as untrue. “Do you know more than the book ?” is
the usual jibe given by teachers. Overdependence on texts and its
atonement as a supreme body of knowledge, which is
unquestionable is the greatest threat to Scientific Temper.