Tag Archives: authoritarianism
On the BDS movements against Russia and Israel
Russia began its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. On March 8, a poll conducted by independent survey organisations in Russia among a randomly selected cohort of 1,640 people reported around 46% supported the war, 13% supported it … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Op-eds, Science
Tagged Alan Paton, Anna Netrebko, anti-war protest, authoritarianism, BDS Movement, Benjamin Netanyahu, civil society, David Shulman, Gaza, Gidi Weitz, Israel, Joe Slovo, Nadine Gordimer, palestine, public opinion, Radzyner School of Law, russia, Tel Aviv University, Vladimir Putin
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Ayurveda is not a science – but what does that mean?
This post has benefited immensely with inputs from Om Prasad. Calling something ‘not a science’ has become a pejorative, an insult. You say Ayurveda is not a science and suddenly, its loudest supporters demand to know what the problem is, … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Science
Tagged allopathy, authoritarianism, Ayurveda, bhakts, Bharatiya Janata Party, far right, hospital care, Imre Lakatos, Karl Popper, knowledge systems, modern science, nationalism, Paul Feyerabend, pseudoscience, reason for state, social science, state, Thomas Kuhn, view from nowhere, welfare, welfare state, welfarism
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A personal manifesto
Many people who are unsure of how their work can help put out the various (figurative) fires ravaging the country at the moment often quickly conclude that purpose is best found at the frontlines of this battle. The common trap … Continue reading
Posted in Life notes
Tagged anti-CAA protests, authoritarianism, Boris Johnson, Constitution of India, Donald Trump, fascism, Jair Bolsonaro, majoritarianism, make good art, Narendra Modi, National Registry of Citizens, Neil Gaiman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rodrigo Duterte, Vladimir Putin
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My country is burning. Why should I work?
A few days ago, I found asking myself the following question: My country is burning, why should I work? I ended up with some (admittedly inchoate) thoughts, delineated below. I’m trying to fight off this abject helplessness I’m feeling and … Continue reading
Posted in Life notes, Scicomm
Tagged authoritarianism, Citizenship Amendment Act, critical thinking, democracy, fascism, individual responsibility, ISRO, pluralism, protest, science communication
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Authority, authoritarianism and a scicomm paradox
I received a sharp reminder to better distinguish between activists and experts irrespective of how right the activists appear to be with the case of Ustad, that tiger shifted from its original habitat in Ranthambore sanctuary to Sajjangarh Zoo in … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Scicomm
Tagged activism, authoritarianism, authority, expertise, open knowledge, right to information, Sci-Hub, science communication, scientism, Ustad tiger
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The metaphorical transparency of responsible media
We in India often complain about how the media doesn’t care enough to cover science stories. But when we’re looking back and forward in time, we become blind to the media’s efforts. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2016, 2017, authoritarianism, BJP, climate change, counterproductive continuity, David Fahrenthold, Donald Trump, Facebook, Google News, ideologue, independent media, Jay Rosen, Jeff Leek, left-wing, Philip Stark, religion, right wing, Science, science journalism, science media, speaking truth to power, The Intersection, The Life of Science, The Wire, Twitter
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