SPIRIT OF THE AGE

Scientific Validity

THE American Nobel laureate, biologist James Watson (b. 1928) sold his Nobel medal on December 4, 2014. Watson said he sold his medal for redemption over the remarks about Africa he made seven years ago. He said these remarks had made him an “unperson” in the scientific community. Seven years ago Watson had told The Sunday Times of London that he was pessimistic about Africa because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours, whereas all the testing says not really.” Watson apologized saying: “To those who have drawn the inference from my words that Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior, I can only apologize unreservedly. More importantly from my point of view, there is no scientific basis for such a belief.” (The Times of India, New Delhi, December 6, 2014)

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Universal acceptance is only for something that
has scientific or rational basis.

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This is no ordinary event. It reflects the spirit of this scientific age. Without scientific support a claim loses validity and is deemed invalid. Today, a person is free to follow whatever he wishes as a matter of belief. To get acceptance however, he has to provide scientific reasoning for it.

This is an important learning for everyone, including Muslims. Muslims speak against writings or remarks that have hurt their sentiments. Such statements are totally invalid today. If Muslims are hurt by something, it is entirely their personal matter and have no right to impose curbs on others' freedom of speech. Universal acceptance is only for something that has scientific basis. o

Flowers amidst Thorns

Spiritual behaviour is like the behaviour of the flowers that can live with all their fragrance in the neighbourhood of thorns.