Science in Saffron: Skeptical Essays on History of Science

by Meera Nanda

There is much talk of the glories of ancient Hindu sciences in India today. Landmark discoveries in every field of science, from mathematics to medicine, are being credited to ancient scientists-sages of India. This book places such priority claims in a comparative global history of science.

While fully acknowledging the substantial contributions of Indian geometers, mathematicians, physicians, artisans and craftsmen, it challenges their glorification for nationalistic purposes. It also questions the neo-Hindu scientization of yoga and Vedanta pioneered by Swami Vivekananda.

Backed by the best available scholarship on history of science, this book offers a reading of history of Indian science without the hype that has come to surround it.

CONTENTS

Who Discovered the Pythagorean Theorem?
Nothing That Is: Zero’s Fleeting Footsteps
Genetics, Plastic Surgery and Other Wonders of Ancient Indian Medicine
Yoga Scientized: How Swami Vivekananda rewrote Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtra

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction

195 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2016

Reviews

[arjn]

four well-researched essays. rightfully critiques a fascist anti-science attitude currently festering in parts of indian academia and popular media, but does so in a highly positivist pen. engagement with social construction is cursory, dismissed with strawman arguments.

[Appu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politicians and ideologues make grandiose claims about the scientific achievements of ancient India. Any great achievement of modern science usually elicits a dismissive response from India: "It is all there in the Vedas". Even well-meaning and educated people make these claims without second thought. Such claims are now part of a political project and cannot be seen any longer as innocent and innocuous.
Meera Nanda examines some of these claims through the comparative study of history of science: (1) Did Indians invent Pythagoras theorem? (2) Where we the first to come up with zero and decimal system? (3) Was surgery and systematic study of anatomy pioneered in India?
Nanda acknowledges that ancient India did contribute to science and mathematics. But she asserts that India's contributions were neither unique nor without precedent.
One recurring theme in these essays is India losing its way despite its early head start. Nanda blames the caste ridden and taboo ridden social structure of India for the derailment of rational inquiry and science. Nanda cautions us against what she calls 'anachronistic' or 'presentist' readings of history. This is the attempt to explain the past using vocabulary drawn from our present knowledge, values and beliefs.

[Shanmugam Ramasamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book feels like it was written by someone surrounded by people who always seem to say "Its all there in the Vedas". You can evidently see the frustration of the author. That being said , I felt the stance was not very neutral, it was more along the lines of digging out every piece of evidence to falsify claims. While I really like the premise of the book, which states that in accepting eternal truth to already be present, we have not made a lot of progress today, I definitely disagree with a lot of points as well. To give an example of a couple of points , the author seems to be condescending of the BJP government spending a lot on AYUSH, saying Ayurveda has got no where. I am sure western medicine got to where it was, due to all the funding and world wide adoption that it has, it didnt happen in a day. With all the advancements made, still western (modern) medicine still seems to have a lot of challenges (Bill Brysons book "The body, a guide for occupants" well explains how little we know of the human body). So many governments (European , Thailand, Chine etc) are adopting a mixed medicine approach . Another point of contention is along the strong emphasis of logic and science that is used to disprove a lot of things said in the Vedas. Before the invention of a microscope, if someone has spoken about microbes, you would have said its non scientific. Largely science is only an expansion of your senses and logic. Scientific community will itself accept that it knows very little, and there is still so much more to be known in the cosmos. That being the case, you form a filter with the limited scientific knowledge you have so far, and call only theories that pass through that filter as scientific, it seems illogical to me. However I do understand that it poses a dilemma . Is something true till its proven false by science, or false till its proven true by science ? I dont have an answer to that.
Overall to sum it up this is definitely a good book to understand the real history behind a lot of things we purely take credit for. Definitely opened my on it. The overall premise of our belief in ancient eternal truth crippling us now is another point that definitely needs to be taken seriously. However beyond that, I would definitely be a little critical about the viewpoints of the author.

[Vn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am neither a historian nor anthropologist but even i could see what are observations that could happen simultaneously and independently, let alone in different times and geographical locations. I am glad research also shows the same. The author is cogent and clear. She is not denigrating Indian achievements but putting them in perspective. I am glad she did it.

[Ravi]

really good! wish the author had leaned more into the larger project of nation building that underlies the instances of saffronwashing science discussed in the book, but a reasonably infrmed reader could draw their own conclusions

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all rational minds.