Antonio, What is the main purpose of discussing the so-called caste system on Goanet?
Is it to know who has inherited so-called superior or inferior caste? Or is it just prove each other's knowledge of caste system? Or is there any other specific purpose? Cip Fernandes UK -----Original Message----- Santosh Helekar wrote on 26 February 2005 06:42 --- Antonio Menezes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >the caste system has been with us for over three >millennia and during this period, have you ever come >across an era in which indians shined to the rest of >the world? > One can certainly argue that the caste system has been detrimental to social and intellectual progress in India, but claiming that Indians did not shine in any era in comparison with the rest of the world is being slapdash with history. A very good argument can be made that at least until the 12th century Indian philosophy, literature, medicine, mathematics and astronomy were on par with, and in some respects, better than the rest of the world. I just finished reading a nice book on the history of intellectual progress in India by the noted astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar, entitled "The Scientific Edge - The Indian Scientist from Vedic to Modern Times". I recommend it to anybody who is interested in such things. The refreshing thing about this book is that it is unusually objective. It gives credit where credit is due, but also debunks nutty nonsense such as the so-called Vedic Mathematics, Vedic Astrology and Vaastushastra. Narlikar mentions several genuinely shining achievements of Indian science and mathematics, especially during the Golden Age of 450 1150 A.D. Regarding the caste systems role in stunting progress, he makes the much more reasonable point that it deprived Indian science of intellectual input from the vast majority of its population which was deemed to be unworthy of engaging in scholarly pursuits. Cheers, Santosh
