PARADIGMS OF MEDICAL PERCEPTION A commentary on the evolutionary status of Indian system of medicine through the eyes of Micheal Foucalt’s The Birth of the Clinic
Micheal Foucalt’s The Birth of Clinic is a relevant read for those who are interested in the evolution of the conceptual jumps that led to the modern medical practices. It is a useful reference point for comparing the evolution of various traditional systems of medicine.
‘KARMA IS NOT REAL- IT’S PSYCHOLOGICAL’ Parental Lessons on Skepticism and Empiricism
Sept 2021 ‘Karma is not real; it’s psychological’ This above was the quip my 9-year old son, Siddharth made when he was asked what he had finally concluded on the notion of ‘Karma’. We were speechless. It was quite an understatement- the kind of response he makes when he is absolutely sure of something. If […]
Leviathan and the Air-Pump: Hobbes, Boyle, and the Experimental Life
Leviathan and the Air-Pump, is about the debate between English scientist, Robert Boyle, and English philosopher Thomas Hobbes on the validity of experiments on vacuum using a device called air-pump that was developed to create ‘vacuum’. The air-pump was called the ‘cyclotron’ of the 17th century’ and was sort of ‘big science’ of the period. In […]
Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy since Independence
Army and Nation by Steven Wilkinson is an important book that clarifies the tragetory India’s armed forces took vis-a-vis that of the Pakistan. Wilkinson addresses how Indian founding leaders systematically nullified the democracy destabilizing potential of the Indian Army. This they did by modifying key tenets of the Royal British Indian army that based organization of […]
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
A Brief History of Humankind Sapiens is arguably the most comprehensive and even-headed survey of human history. Unlike traditional attempts at popular history, the author starts the journey from the prehistory fully exploring the transition of Homo sapiens from a helpless primate to the all powerful apex predators out to change the face of the […]