Guest guest Posted October 24, 2003 Report Share Posted October 24, 2003 >"Vishal Agarwal" <vishalagarwal >manthan (Manthan) >manthan >[manthan] Ayodhya, the Finale: Book Release >Thu, 16 Oct 2003 16:01:09 +0000 > >************************************************************************ >manthan: Information Exchange Network for Intellectual Defense of Dharma >Sponsored By: Bharatvani - http://www.bharatvani.org >************************************************************************ >[This is an important small book which brings the Ayodhya debate up to >date. >Please spread information about this release. Thanks.] > > >Title: AYODHYA – THE FINALE >Science vs. Secularism in the Excavation Debate > >Author: Koenraad Elst > >Publishers: >Voice of India >2/18, Ansari Road >New Delhi – 110 002 >Email: bibimpex@n... >58 pages, Rs. 65/- > >Author’s Note: > >This booklet is a synthesis of two articles of mine: "Lost and found: >the Ayodhya evidence" (21 June 2003), published in various internet >forums; and "The secularists and the Ayodhya excavations report", >published in the online magazine Kashmir Herald, September 2003. > >At this stage in my life, a polemic on the Ayodhya affair is essentially >a blast from the past. In recent years, I have reoriented my scholarly >interests towards more fundamental philosophical studies and questions >of ancient history, rather than questions in the centre of contemporary >political struggles. The nastiness, the personal smears, the sheer heat >of this kind of debate now seems most unpleasant to me, though once I >enjoyed rushing headlong into it. But the whole polemic is also a blast >from the past in a less personal sense. In terms of the development of >civilization, it is an anachronism. > >Science has made considerable progress, to the point of being able to >decide many historical riddles such as whether a given site has a >history as a place of worship. With the modern techniques available, it >is rather absurd that there should be a controversy over such a simple >and easily verifiable matter. It is incredible that there has been a >yes/no game over the existence of temple remains at the disputed site >for about fifteen years, when the matter could be scientifically decided >in no time. Worse: even when science was called in to decide, the >procedure was opposed by, of all people, the most eminent academics. And >when the scientific findings were made public, they were furiously >denounced by more academics. True, when Galileo made his scientific >findings known, he too was opposed by the learned academics of the day, >not just by the Pope. But that was a few centuries ago, when they were >still steeped in theology rather than in science. I thought we had moved >on since then. > >Given the importance of the Ayodhya dispute and my old familiarity with >it, I felt I had to come down from my ivory tower and engage in this >polemic once more. When dogmatic ideologues are giving scientists the >kind of treatment which the experts of the Archaeological Survey of >India have been receiving from the "eminent historians" and assorted >Babri Masjid lobbyists, a is time to send up and be counted I for one >want to be counted among those who defend the freedom of research and >the scientific method, rather than among those who shriek and howl about >some evil spirit in whose name every lie becomes justified, and whom >they call "secularism". > >KE > >9 September 2003 >Mortsel (Belgium) > > > > > >Vishal Agarwal > >Homepage- http://vishalagarwal.bharatvani.org > >_______________ >Send instant messages to anyone on your contact list with MSN Messenger >6.0. Try it now FREE! http://msnmessenger-download.com > >************************************************ >Manthan is a moderated, by invitation only list. >Listowner: owner-manthan >************************************************ > _______________ Concerned that messages may bounce because your Hotmail account has exceeded its 2MB storage limit? Get Hotmail Extra Storage! http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.