HindooHeathen

Please check the link below and give me your opinions.

ViratHindu on Evolution

-Arvind

Justus

Also does Darwinian Theory justify exploitation and selfishness? No ! On the contrary it can show how we as the products of Evolution can transcend it by being selfless. Evolution helps to understand ourselves in our biological dimension and understand our biological heritage. It is in understanding our biological nature we can analyse our own selfishness,anger, hatred and prejudices. By understanding evolution we can realise how we are all part of the great web of life. By undersanding evolution we can transcend our limited circle and expand. Says Richard Dawkins:

Good Article .... Simplistic answer should we teach Evolution? YES

emotional

This oft-made philosophical argument against evolution is irrelevant, and furthermore can be reversed against creation. I have an article dealing with that, here:


Animals or Machines?

doodad

Yes we should teach evolution. It is merely a metamorphic like change that takes place as time passes. I attach no social signifigance to it and we can do little to alter its course, so let it be.

Beelzebub

You have to teach evolution if you are going to teach biology. Emphasis must be given to the fact that it is a biological theory, not a philisophical one. It has nothing to do with the making of a viable society. Also, stress that "fittest" means "the ability to cooperate" much more often then "strongest or most ruthless".

jess

I personally loved your web page.

Why don't you also post it on the C/E board here?

ChristianSkeptic

ChristianSkeptic: [ Aravindan], the stage is yours in the debate discussion forum.

[ September 27, 2001: Message edited by: ChristianSkeptic ]

HindooHeathen

Jess,

The reason I posted here is because that will give an idea of one of the Hindu(non-Abrahamic)views of teaching evolution. After all Darwinism is as much non-Abrahamic as Hindu philosophy and Buddhism. Right?

Arvind.S

emotional

HindooHeathen,

doesn't Hinduism tell of creation of the world and all living beings from the body of the Purusha (Creator) Vishnu? No young-earth theories, that's for sure, but how do Hindus view this connection between man and animals which Darwinian evolution makes?

HindooHeathen

The Hindu "religion" (a loaded term this) has myths as well as philosophical texts and they go on increasing because Hindu"ism" is an open system. The Hindu Vedas talk of both creation as well as projection. In upanishads, we are told that, the whole Universe is but the projection of a Universal Unfathomable (Brahman). Another Hindu view of the whole Universe as a Cosmic dream of which gods and goddesses are part of the human dream, has been popularised by late Carl Sagan in his Cosmos. Another view onthe wonder of creation as a open ended mystery is found in the Rig Vedic hymn of creation (both the Russian bio-geo chemist V.I.Vernadsky and Carl Sagan admired this hymn. See Carl Sagan's 'Brocha's Brain')
Your quoting is just one of the myths and Hindu philosophers (crudely theologians?) have always been very careful not to take literal account of their myths.
As early as fifth century CE , we find Hindu philosopher Thirumular calling those who try to give literal meaning to myths as 'those damned in their intellect'. We thus find Hindu society open to new ideas and also new methods of seeking knowledge.
Hence a Hindu never finds it hard to understand that fables of creation of a bygone era are by no means eternal truths but that search for truth is an eternal endeavor of human race and as Rig Veda has said almost five thousand years ago,
"Let good thought come to us from everywhere". And Evolution surely is one such. There is no need for reconcilation of myth and science. If someone thinks science should corborate to the literal meaning and perhaps even philosophical implications of a myth, I think he or she goes against the spitit of Hindu tradition which places search for truth as the most important aspect of one's life and not any revealed truth.I am happy and proud Hindu tradition is so and if not so I will not be a Hindu.