Re: [nukkad] Fwd: [wp] *Religion and Reason

["Mahesh chandra Gupta" <>]

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Dear Milind,
Glad to have a genuine query from you. Replies are as folows:

Q. Where do I get all these satires on science?
A. I am intrigued that my contributions to this list are viewed  as satires
on science. Nothing could be farther from truth. I am a scientist myself. I
am a professor and have been on the faculty of AIIMS for 18 years. I have a
few awards to my credit and have published in highly reputed international
medical journals. I have been invited to many international science
conferences and expert group meetings organised, among others, by WHO and
Cornell University. I know a bit of statistics and, hence, am aware of the
need for objectivity. I have also graduated in law and am doing LL.M. The
essence of legal reasoning and practice is to separate substance from chaff
and  not to rely on anything that is not documented and is mere hearsay. I
did not want to blow my own trumpet. I mention all this here to prove my
point that rather than being a satirist of science, I am its flag bearer, in
my own little way. The only difference is that I am a scientist with an open
mind. There could be Nobel laureates with closed mind. I am sure you know
about some of the statements and predictions made by people who ought to
know better, but who refused to have an open mind. A reputes world figure in
science even made a statement a few decades ago that all that could have
ever been known in physics has already been known, and that nothing more
remains to be discovered in physics.

Having settled the satire business, your question could be reframed as to
where I get all the information on science that I transmit? I get the info
from:
a. Standard science books and journals
b. Books on science and allied subjects written by authors with credentials,
published by well known publishers
c. Science news published in respectable news papers, where the news item
quotes authentic, expert  source and, further, it appears that the reporter
has not bungled in such reporting.
d. Encyclopedia Brittanica [latest edition].
As regards the mail in question, to which you responded, my mail had 3
paras. The first two paraphrased a piece sent on this list by a member,
written, pleasantly surprisingly, by a maulana. The exact reference is as
follows:
Source: http://www.alrisala.org/Articles/relgsci/religion.htm
>
>Religion and Reason
>by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The third para, to which most of your comments pertain, and which I will
presently address, was, as already indicated, of my own writing, based upon
readings from various sources mentioned above.

Q. Are telepathy and ESP pseudoscience?
A. These are very well documented real phenomenon that do occur, but the
mechanism of which so far eludes science. The term sixth sense has been
coined to refer to a sensory mechanism beyond the five senses. It is
possible that such mechanisms are present in various people to a variable
degree.

Q. Is water divining a farce?
A. Probably not. Well documented instances are recorded. [I promise to look
up my archieves and library and send you more info on this in a few days].

Q. Is there any scientific literature available on reincarnation?
A. Yes. I posted a list of scientific references on this very list 2-3 weeks
ago. If you missed it, I shall be glad to send it again.

MC Gupta
July 21, 2001
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---- Original Message -----
From: "Milind Sathe" <milind.sathe@worldnet.att.net>
To: "Mahesh chandra Gupta" <healthlaw@now-india.net.in>; "nukkad"
<nukkad-list@mumbai-central.com>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 9:04 PM
Subject: Re: [nukkad] Fwd: [wp] *Religion and Reason


> Hi,
>     Where do you get all these satires on science. with unscientific
> references to science'.
>
>


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