On Propagating Scientific Temper

On Propagating Scientific Temper V Siddhartha THE eighth 'Fundamental Duty' enjoins every citizen 'to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of enquiry and reform'. In November, as the nation was celebrating the birth anniversary of Jawahar- lai Nehru, J V Narlikar of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research delivered the tenth Nehru Memorial Lecture on 'The Role of (the) Scientific Outlook in the Development of Science and Society'. A couple of days later, a group of our leading scientist- administrators talked about Nehru and Science. Shortly afterwards, S Ramaseshan of the National Aeronautical Laboratory spoke in Bangalore on 'Science and the Scientific Temper'. Thus, of late, there has been an upswelling of concern and interest in the matter of the propagation of the 'Scientific Temper in our society. Here I wish to highlight some of the issues that seem to emerge from these and other lectures and discussions and try to derive some of their implications for the propagation of the Scientific Temper in our society and for science teaching in our schools and colleges. In attempting this, I will be quoting rather extensively; not to over-awe the reader with the authority of the originators, but because there is little point in re-phrasing something which has already been well put, merely for the sake of appearing different.