Vaccination drive
The good response on day one, when over 40 lakh adolescents received their first jab of Covaxin, is encouraging (Page 1, January 4). Vaccination of children must be expanded to all above 12. The decision on homologous and heterologous boosters must be taken at the earliest. The complacency which led to the disastrous second wave and pushed the world to the precipice should not be repeated.
Dr. Biju C. Mathew,
Thiruvananthapuram
China’s moves
Ever since the stand-off between India and China in Ladakh, there has been a steady military and infrastructural build-up by the Chinese military at the border. The report, “China constructing bridge on Pangong lake in Ladakh” (Page 1, December 4), is cause for even more concern. These activities may also be to build psychological pressure on India, which should be ready for any eventuality.
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
Standing up for science
One does not have to be a practising scientist to grasp the issues facing the pursuit of science, and indeed national life today. C.P. Rajendran’s comprehensive analysis, “The deafening silence of scientists” (OpEd page, January 4) breaks through the “grey zone of cynical detachment” where a perverse nostalgia and revanchism, pseudoscience and quackery are seizing hold of the imagination, in a “pernicious political landscape”.
Under this, the spirit of enquiry basic to science, philosophy and indeed any viable ethical system, is under threat.
Vasantha Surya,
Bengaluru
It is unfortunate that our National Science Congress has become a gathering for making extraordinary claims instead of presenting and discussing serious subjects of science and its potential to enhance and change the lives of many Indians. Jawaharlal Nehru truly believed that science was the only key if India was to progress. He invested heavily in a string of national-level scientific institutions. We now have leaders denying established and proven scientific theories. We appear to be mixing up anecdotal remedies, fables and myths and passing it off as science. China spends billions on research and development. No wonder it is ready to challenge the world.
H.N. Ramakrishna,
Bengaluru
The writer deserves praise for saying, loud and clear, that pseudoscience finds support in India, even from those in authority. The respect for science in this great country is unfortunately eroding.
A. Aravindan,
Chennai
The concerns raised by the writer about the inability of scientists to speak against pseudoscience is visible. Today’s modern science as we understand it is a product of “European Renaissance”, which emanated not from scientific advancements but against the oppression by the nexus of the church and the state. The scientific advancements that followed and the ‘rationality and reason’ became the fundamental basis to judge the actions of the state, the church and the individuals. What is very unfortunate is that today’s scientific community is hardly aware about the history, values of democracy, importance of pluralism, liberalism and other such ideas which shaped the world and is thus easily convinced about any narrative without its verification which is the ultimate scientific benchmark. In this context, Socrates held that “philosophy is superior to physics”, which may be taken to be offensive today as there does not seem to be understand of the importance of integrating science with philosophy — which really contributes to human advancements. The ignorance of social sciences in our academic curriculum is causing us to fail to understand that the most successful of scientists delved deeper into science with philosophical understanding.
Abdul Rahman,
Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh
The article is both poignant and a much-needed voice against wrong science. While the accompanying picture suggests that evolution is a linear process that works with progress as its ultimate goal, the reality is that species that survive do so through a combination of adaptation to their environment and chance, and not by passively accumulating “improvements” over time.
Vinod Parthasarathy,
Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu
