Logic, Not Magic. Sanity, Not Irrationality: The Abandonment of Scientific Temper in India
India’s Constitution, a visionary document for a modern and inclusive republic, doesn’t merely prescribe laws—it envisions values. Among these is Article 51A(h), which urges citizens to develop a “scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform.” This clause is more than symbolic. It reflects the aspirations of a nation that emerged from colonial rule with the hope of building a society rooted in reason, progress, and democratic dialogue.
Yet today, this constitutional value stands not just neglected but deliberately undermined, especially by those wielding power. The dominant discourse amplified by mainstream media and political rhetoric is increasingly shaped by appeals to emotion, faith, and mythology rather than reason, science, and evidence. A growing emphasis on building temples, glorifying a selectively curated “Golden Vedic past,” and promoting a reactionary cultural agenda has led to a departure from rational thought. This shift risks replacing logic with superstition and critical inquiry with unquestioning beliefs.
Instead of fostering rational discourse, public attention is diverted through a celebration of myth over history, ritual over science, and spectacle over substance. Temples are inaugurated with great fanfare while schools and research institutions struggle for basic funding. Political leaders promote pseudoscientific claims—from ancient aircraft in the Vedic era to cow-based cures—without evidence or accountability. Public policy is increasingly shaped not by scientific advice but by religious symbolism and emotional populism.
The mainstream media, far from being a watchdog, often becomes a megaphone for these narratives, glorifying mythology while marginalizing scientists, educators, and activists who raise rational concerns. Questioning is branded as anti-national. Debate is replaced by dogma.
The narrative being pushed encourages a mindset where complex social, economic, and scientific issues are met not with data and deliberation, but with simplistic solutions rooted in mythology and magical thinking. Whether it is the promotion of pseudo-science in education, the distortion of historical facts, or the sidelining of experts in favor of demagogues, the cumulative impact is a shrinking space for rational public discourse.
These irrational ideas are not harmless—they are cultivating an environment of collective delusion. When belief takes precedence over reason, it becomes easier to suppress dissent, to ignore the needs of the present by idolizing an imagined past, and to manipulate public opinion through spectacle rather than substance.
The result? A public sphere where irrationality is normalized, dissent is demonized, and critical thinking is on the retreat. This is not merely cultural regression—it is dangerous.
At a time when the world is tackling challenges like climate change, AI ethics, health crises, and economic inequality, India needs evidence-based policy and scientific leadership, not magical thinking.
We must remember: Scientific temper is not anti-religion—it is anti-superstition. It does not oppose faith—it opposes blind faith. It encourages questioning, critical thinking, and reform—values that are not just essential for science, but for democracy itself.
India’s strength has always been its ability to question, to innovate, and to evolve. Upholding logic over magic, and sanity over irrationality, is not just a philosophical preference—it is essential for a modern, just, and progressive society. The path forward must be guided by evidence, reasoned debate, and scientific temper—not by dogma disguised as tradition.
To abandon a scientific temper is to betray the Constitution. To revive it is to reclaim the future.
Labels: Article 51, constitution, logic, reasoning, scientific temper, superstitions