Rajeev Bhargava
@Rajeev_Bhargava
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Professor of #PoliticalTheory ,specialises in #Secularism , Former Director of #CSDS , Alumni of #Oxford and #StStephen 's.
Joined September 2011
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'For much of its history, the idea of religion was either absent or had an unstable existence in India. Those who berate secularism for being alien to India must first recognize the foreignness of religion itself.' This is how my short new book on Indian secularism begins.
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My new book is out! Modern western 'Religion' is alien to India. The primary problem in India is religionization. Indian secularism must resist it, for it is the fountainhead of inter-religious rivalry & consolidates intra-religious domination.
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Spoke at Nalsar. Hyderabad today. The first in a series of four lectures.
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My new book, available from Seagull and Amazon, argues that for much of its history, the subcontinent had religio-philosophical practices/experiences but not a comprehensive category called religion. Instead, India had what I provocatively term ‘non-religion’.
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Available now.
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Democracy needs citizens who put their views clearly, sharply, even adversially, articulators of particular, often conflicting viewpoints. But it also needs those who forge a common mind from these divergent perspectives, the equally crucial but rather undervalued reconciliators.
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BetweenHope&Despair
At the IIC Book Discussion on Feb 28. Very satisfied with the attendance, the discussion and the warmth of friends who were present at the panel and in the audience.
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This may sound very counterintuitive to many. Has not India been the land that gave birth to some of the world's greatest, most ancient religions—Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism? How can anyone assert that religion is a foreign idea here? But this is precisely my claim.
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My latest book is out. Available in stores and on websites such as Amazon and Flipkart. Would love to receive your feedback.
"Bhargava's writing never fails me." - Gopalkrishna Gandhi
#BetweenHopeAndDespair
by
@Rajeev_Bhargava
is out now!
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I have been trying to post this link of my recent interview in the Hindu for sometime. Now it seems I am finally successful.
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@ShashiTharoor
@nankrishna
The Manusmriti was written as a normative document by Brahmins for Brahmins. It was neither descriptive nor representative. The Constitution too is more normative, less descriptive. But it is more representiative, written by many for all.
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Friends, many of you have asked me questions on twitter or requested a meeting to discuss issues in my latest books. I invite you to CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road, Seminar room on Aug 10, 230-430pm. Please confirm. Send me yout names and affiliation, so i know the total no attendees.
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The Iives of innocent people is worthless fodder for a wicked, exclusionary South Asian politics whose sole concern is state power. Horrific. It fills one’s heart with sadness that houses/temples in Bangladesh are torched only because they are associated with Hindus.
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#BETWEENHOPE
&DESPAIR (1) Delighted to have book talk at DU. Students had a million questions. Very stimulating
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Why do we celebrate
#RepublicDay
? A thread:
The English word ‘republic’ is
derived from Latin—‘res publica’, the public thing. This translates in
the political domain into decision-making in the open, in full view
of all. (1)
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Since the formation of states, humans have felt the need to not only garner collective power for social purpose but prevent its arbitrary, self-aggrandizing misuse against the will or basic interests of the people. By laying ground rules, Constitutions fulfill this need.
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Between Hope and Despair "Freedom is assumed to be a primary
good in our Constitution because the pursuit of a worthwhile life is inconceivable without
it. This gives a richer meaning to the constitutional guarantee of
freedom of religion, which includes freedom from religion."
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Democracy was also built by breaking away
from anti-democratic elements in our traditions- the hyper-masculine ethic of early Vedic period,the realpolitik of Arthashastra,hierarchical varna order in Dharmshastras, autocratic kingships/imperiums, including the British Empire.
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On BETWEEN HOPE AND DESPAIR: "For long, I wrote only for other academics in dense, argumentative prose found in long articles and books. But now I felt I must garner my training and teaching experience for a wider public purpose. This has resulted in this book."
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The judiciary may be the
final judge and the ultimate arbiter on these constitutional matters but citizens must make value-judgements too. We are duty-bound to fearlessly make value judgements in the light of
constitutional values and principles.
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The term 'dream' is connected to the 'good'. When Martin Luther King said he had a dream, he
did not mean that he had a psychic event in his sleep but that he
visualised a good life for all Americans, Black and White.
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In Feb 2023 between Hope and despair was launched and discussed by a distinguished panel. On October 3, 2024, I believe the Hindi version of the book, Rashtra aur naitikta will be launched and discussed by another eminent panel. Watch out for the announcement
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For an elaborate argument and detailed, rich examples, on good/bad, right/wrong, get my newly published book' Between Hope and Despair by Bloomsbury.
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From Between Hope and Despair: "Our Constitution acknowledges that all of us do not and need not strive to realise a uniform idea of the good life. This plurarity has always been part of our landscape. it is neither possible nor desirable to disturb it".
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The Hindi translation of 'Between Hope and Despair' was published by
@RajkamalBooks
early this month. Do pick up a copy!
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Constitutions strive for a delicate balance to ensure
that the collective power of society invested in the state is neither dissipated or fragmented to become ineffective, for this results in anarchy, nor so tightly organised and untrammelled that it destroys our freedom
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#RepublicDay
: In a Republic, decisions are taken by many citizens, in full public view. When this is not done, they can demand transparency, challenge and contest decisions even after they are taken. By becoming republican, democracies go beyond mere elections and acquire depth.
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Those who have confirmed participation in the discussion over two books and even those who have not are welcome to come to CSDS today at 230pm!
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#BetweenHopeandDespair
Democracy is centrally concerned with inclusive citizenship.Yet,inclusion does not automatically entail equality.Afterall,one
may be included in a political community but given a secondary status. In democracies,there are no first- and second-class citizens
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The constitution reflects the philosophy of the Indian people, our national philosophy.
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#BetweeopeandDespair
Many feel being constantly being judged for doing ‘something wrong’: you are bad because wearing the wrong kind of dress, meeting the wrong person, not putting in effort out of laziness. For
them, the term ‘judgement’ is laden
with oppressive misrecognition.
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Four public Lectures from 29th July to Aug 1. All are welcome.
We are pleased to have Prof
@Rajeev_Bhargava
as the Keynote Speaker as part of Lecture Series on Constitutionalism. Prof Bhargava will be delivering four lectures from July 29 to August 1 at
@NALSAR_Official
,Hyderabad.Since these will be public lectures,we invite all to join in!
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Democracy in India was built from
elements within our traditions- 'polytheism', a pluralist practice continuing since the
Vedic period;government-by-discussion in
ancient clan republics; mutual respect between groups & peaceful resolution of conflcits,(Ashoka inscriptions.)
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Four large, spacious bookshops, welcoming, full of wonderful books- Blossom's, Gangaram Bookhome and Bookworm. It was a pleasure to be there. Thanks for all the arrangements.
Here with Mohan Rao
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Deeper vulnerabilities of Indian democracy, lecture delivered at the Bangalore International Centre, Aug 24 2024
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Despite struggling for centuries, why have we still not rid ourselves of caste hierarchies?
अबरंण बरंण कथै जिनि कोई । घटि घटि व्यापि रह्यौं हरि सोई
Let none speak of caste or outcaste,
Hari dwells in each and every body.
(Raidas, late15th-early16th century)
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By the 19th century, partly because of the logic of colonial governance, caste hirarchicies had become more rigid, Atishudras were excluded from public domains,and Untouchability was rampant. Only a robust moral equality in the Constitution could help us dismantle this past
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There is nothing unusual or unique about the PM or his minor spokespersons trying to infantilize the leader of the opposition, to show him as a brainless, inexperienced blunderer in politics. It is a vital part of the shabby, weary, overused global tool-kit of anti-Democrats.
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Lecture on Changing lanscapes of Politics and Democracy at Gargi College, New Delhi on 22.04.23.
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From Nalsar. With faculty and students and lecturing.
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#BetweenHopeandDespair
If we as individuals,
communities or society are keen to detect our shortcomings, to evolve, we must seek an honest
appraisal, a suitably objective judgement, but one that follows rather than precedes a proper understanding of our motives, goals, and values
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In several essays of 'Between Hope and Despair', I take up a troubling contemporary event and, by reflecting on it, try to clarify the meaning of ethical concepts, the significance of constitutional values and the adverse consequences of undermining them.
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“Russia can’t have a domestic policy, The elite have stolen all the money, all the laws are corrupted, and there’s almost no possibility of change in most Russians’ lives, so foreign policy has to compensate and provide the raw material — for governance.” Tim Snyder. Hmm.THINK!
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When you identify a wrong committed in some other country, first find out if the same wrong is happening in your own. Understand the wrong, criticize it. Then you earn half a right to criticise that other country.
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The Constitution directs each one of us to fearlessly raise questions such as ‘Have plural and secular spaces contracted in our country? Are we free to criticise our government? Are government policies inhibiting our freedoms? Is one community really free
to criticise another?
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# BetweenHopeand Despair "A pre-eminent ideal in the Constitution is justice, the idea that everyone must be given what is due to him or her on fair and equal terms; Importantly, social justice was to be brought in peacefully by discussion and deliberation, i.e democratically."
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A decade ago, we all wanted to active citizens. Today many of us are reduced to or choose to be passive subjects. If this continues, our hard-earned democracy will not survive.
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A discussion between Sanjay Hegde and myself on Religion, Secularism and the Indian Constitution.
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For much of its past, India had religio-philosophical experiences and practices but not a larger, more comprehensive category called religion within which to subsume them.
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The attractiveness of democracy lies in its ability to give us peaceful transfer of power. Those in search for equanimity or are easily disturbed by disagreements and conflicts should not enter it. It is meant for the street-smart with a flair for some adventure in public life.
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I hope that "Between Hope and Despair", will lessen the scepticism of those who have recently turned away from our Constitutional vision and persuade those who have long rejected it to reconsider. It will be satisfying too if it generates better understanding of our disagreements
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From Rashtra aur Naitikta, translated with great skill and nuance by Abhishek Srivastava
लोकतंत्र का आकर्षण इस बात में है कि यह हमें शान्तिपूर्ण तरीक़े से सत्ता के हस्तांतरण की सुविधा देता है। बेशक यह उन लोगों के लिए नहीं है जो मन की शान्ति की तलाश में हैं या वे जो असहमतियों या टकरावों से बहुत जल्दी बेचैन हो जाते हैं। लोकतंत्र सड़क पर चलनेवाले ऐसे आदमी के लिए है जो
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At AMU, for A lecture on October 7 at its Dept of Philosophy on Gandhi’s secularism. Good questions. Stimulating discussion.
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Unlike official and average social response in India to violence against non-Hindu Indian citizens, students, activists, BD political parties and Mohammad Yunus himself have all condemned the attack on minorities. How reassuring is that!
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Religion came to India at a specific time in history and changed the way we came to conceptualize and experience a large chunk of our world. Until quite recently, it was an alien notion and to some extent still remains so
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We are often told that we "excessively prioritize rights over duties" and should shift to "prioritizing duties over rights". Would it really be wise to do so? To find out read my latest article in
@the_hindu
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Western Secularism deals only with religion. Since 'religion' in India subsumes both religion and non-religion, Indian secularism ihas to be different from its western counterparts. I wish I could continue here but, alas, for more, please get the book from Seagull or Amazon!
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The category of religion provides an interpretative grid within which to place these facts, and I fear its unexamined usage misleads us into thinking of our past and present world in a way that damages our ethos and distorts our experience.
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Tani was there too. So were my Delhi friends Abhi and Mini Chatterjee who were keen to be present and drove us there.
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It is shocking to see racist, ring-wing thugs taking Britain to the brink of a horrific social disaster. Hope determined action by the government and collective self-reflection will pull the country back from violence and restore communal harmony, the pivot of modern democracy.
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As we answer them, the Constitution encourages us to
make value judgements: it is despicable that Dalits are mistreated; the government’s policy on personal laws is imposing more restrictions on women, Our democracy is undermined by excessive concentration of power in one office
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Worth a read! It is as impartial a comment as it can be, given that Vanya is my daughter!!!
New article out!
#LalaLajpatRai
's 'Hindu nationalism' (1880s-1915) is considered a precursor to
#Savarkar
's Hindutva. I argue that it overlapped but remained significantly distinct. (1)
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A review by Harish Khare is every author's dream- carefully read, getting into the author's shoes, walking in them until one experiences where it gives comfort, where it pinches and where, indeed, it hurts-an examplar for others.
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#RepublicDay
Decision-making in a republic cannot always involve all citizens. Yet, a republic must, at the very least, have perpetually vigilant citizens who act as watchdogs, monitor their representatives, retain the right to contest any law or policy made on their behalf (3)
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#RepublicDay
When the farmers were out on the streets to peacefully challenge farm laws made by the current government, they exhibited the best republican virtues. It is to celebrate such acts of citizens that we have a designated republic day.(4)
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#BetweenHopeandDespair
..(3) Dissent is not suppressed but tolerated, and contestants are viewed as
temporary adversaries not permanent enemies. (4) a
willingness to negotiate&compromise in the interest of
fraternity among citizens with radically different ideas of the good life.
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On teaching Manusmriti. It can be taught as part of history of Indian political thought but not as a normative text for contemporary india. See:
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My talk on
#secularism
and
#religious
#minorities
in
#Europe
:
http://t.co/4HCOW7so.
1st Nov 2011 @
#Columbia
Univ, NY.
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Gandhi did not drop from the sky. His civilizational heritage is found in texts such as The Hindi biography of Dadu Dayal, a sant born in Ahmedabad in the 16th century.
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A reminder to friends in Chennai!!
Book Launch: ‘Between Hope and Despair: 100 Ethical Reflections on Contemporary India’ by Rajeev Bhargava on 17 August 2023 at Chennai.
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The fact that the Rigveda was composed in the Indian subcontinent does not imply that we had religion in India. Buddha's teachings, Jain asceticism and the Upanishadic quest are unquestionably present in India’s past but none of this entails the presence of religion.
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If ethics and morality were only subjective opinions, then they would have no relation to truth. The tone of truth-seeking in "Between Hope and Despair" would be a devious, rhetorical ploy. Because Truth is important,I refuse to be a salesman of dreams or an advertiser of ideas
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"In 1950, for the first time in their history, a diverse collection of individuals and groups
became the people of a single book, one that reflects their common identity and commitment to protect their
mutual rights" From Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution (OUP, 2008)
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#betweenHopeandDespair
Democracy presupposes the maximum possible ‘pacification of politics’. This means (1) political power must be transferred peacefully, not violently as in the past. (2) the presence of an open public sphere to discuss, debate, contest common issues. ..TBC
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#BetweenHopeandDespair
The continuing presence within India of some anti-egalitarian,anti-democratic, anti-freedom traditions
explains why the threat to this freedom-loving, egalitarian, justice-oriented constitutional ethic may come not only from outside but also from within.
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If any of you dont know me personally but would like to come have a chat with me, do come!
Meet
@Rajeev_Bhargava
at World Book Fair at Bloomsbury stall on Saturday, 25th Feb at 3 pm and get your copies signed by him!
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A second component of ethics is the evaluation of something as right or wrong. Jai taking money from Veeru has nothing ethical or unethical about it. But if he borrows money from Veeru that he does not intend to return, then he has acted wrongly, unethically.
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#RepublicDay
A republic then is associated with what we today call the public sphere, an open space where people put forward claims about what is good for the community. After discussing, contesting and deliberating upon them,they reach decisions about
the common good. (2)
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#BetweenHopeandDespair
Inclusiveness and pluralism were not absent in imperial political traditions. In the past,we may even have been non-discriminated subjects of an inclusive empire. But a radical change occured in 1950 when we became equal citizens of a pluralist democracy.
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Review: Rajeev Bhargava's Between Hope and Despair in HT
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Table of Contents of 'Rashtra aur Naitikta: Naye Bharat Se Uthate 100 Savaal' (the Hindi translation of Between Hope and Despair'.
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Join
@Rajeev_Bhargava
@csdsdelhi
for his talk ‘How should Secular Democracy Relate to Religion?' at
@UofT_PolSci
on April 14th at 2pm
@UofTReligion
@CSAC_UOFT
. Preceded by a morning workshop at 10am. Full details and to register:
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Like it or not, the term 'religion' covers both religions and non-religions. I argue that before we attack secular as alien, the foreignness of the category of religion must be acknowledged, and our misconceptions about Indian religions removed.
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Anxiously watching events in Bangladesh.Relieved by exit of tyrannical government but what eventually comes in its place? For a brief history of status of minorities in SA see Inclusion and exclusion in India, Pak, and BD in my Promise of India’s secular democracy, OUP, p217-248
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Rajkamal team ko bahut bhadhayian
राजनीतिक सिद्धांतकार राजीव भार्गव की किताब 'राष्ट्र और नैतिकता : नए भारत से उठते 100 सवाल' का लोकार्पण गुरुवार को इंडिया इंटरनेशनल सेंटर में हुआ। इस मौके पर लेखक-राजनयिक गोपालकृष्ण गाँधी, विचारक और सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता रूपरेखा वर्मा, इतिहासकार एस. इरफ़ान हबीब, सर्वोच्च न्यायालय के
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#BetweenHopeandDespair
Though necessary, making value judgements is fraught with danger today in a public domain that has an excess of fierce negative value judgements about others and fanciful postive judgements about ourselves-pronounced instantly, bereft of understanding.
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From Between Hope and Despair "The good is
something more than what we simply happen to desire. It is a desire
that we evaluate to be significant. This is why we
often strive to achieve it, and for its sake, are even prepared to
sacrifice what we consider to be less significant"
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While it is important to realise our idea of the good life, it must not be done at the expense of the good of others, immorally. Colonialism helped colonisers realise their good but by oppressing them, it gravely harmed the colonized. This is what made colonialism wrong, immoral.
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Reminding my friends in Bengaluru not to miss this!!
Bangalore folks - please do come for this on July 7th at 7pm at Bangalore International Centre!
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By 16-17th C, Religions in Europe meant institutionalized communities that were necessarily conflciting comprehensive socio-ethical systems that sought exclusive allegiance to their version of the truth & were supported by a state strongly aligned to it. For more, read the book!
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Cynicism and scepticism is not uncommon among the good in a ruthless, amoral world. In such times, who wants to believe that a wrong is not the result of deliberate acts of malicious people?
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The term ‘ethics’ covers two extremely important dimensions of human life. The first involves evaluation of something as good or bad, praiseworthy or repugnant. The descriptive statement that we became independent on 15 August 1947 turns ethical the moment we appraise it as good.
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A set of three tweets
(1) Our Seventy-five years old long collective journey is bound to yield much that causes misgivings and sorrow. " Between Hope and Despair" expresses
judgements that things in India are going badly and captures the despair about where we went astray,
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