Tag Archives: authoritarianism

On the BDS movements against Russia and Israel

Posted on June 2, 2025 by VM

Russia began its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. On March 8, a poll conducted by independent survey organisations in Russia among a randomly selected cohort of 1,640 people reported around 46% supported the war, 13% supported it … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Op-eds, Science | Tagged Alan Paton, Anna Netrebko, anti-war protest, authoritarianism, BDS Movement, Benjamin Netanyahu, civil society, David Shulman, Gaza, Gidi Weitz, Israel, Joe Slovo, Nadine Gordimer, palestine, public opinion, Radzyner School of Law, russia, Tel Aviv University, Vladimir Putin | Leave a comment

Ayurveda is not a science – but what does that mean?

Posted on August 16, 2020 by VM

This post has benefited immensely with inputs from Om Prasad. Calling something ‘not a science’ has become a pejorative, an insult. You say Ayurveda is not a science and suddenly, its loudest supporters demand to know what the problem is, … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Science | Tagged allopathy, authoritarianism, Ayurveda, bhakts, Bharatiya Janata Party, far right, hospital care, Imre Lakatos, Karl Popper, knowledge systems, modern science, nationalism, Paul Feyerabend, pseudoscience, reason for state, social science, state, Thomas Kuhn, view from nowhere, welfare, welfare state, welfarism | Leave a comment

Science journalism, expertise and common sense

Posted on March 29, 2020 by VM

On March 27, the Johns Hopkins University said an article published on the website of the Centre For Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), a Washington-based think tank, had used its logo without permission and distanced itself from the study, … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, Scicomm, Science | Tagged ad hominem, authoritarianism, CDDEP, cherry-picking, common sense, complexity, coronavirus, COVID-19, epistemology, expertise, knowledge is power, novel coronavirus, Ramanan Laxminarayan, science journalism, Times of India | Leave a comment

A personal manifesto

Posted on December 25, 2019 by VM

Many people who are unsure of how their work can help put out the various (figurative) fires ravaging the country at the moment often quickly conclude that purpose is best found at the frontlines of this battle. The common trap … Continue reading →

Posted in Life notes | Tagged anti-CAA protests, authoritarianism, Boris Johnson, Constitution of India, Donald Trump, fascism, Jair Bolsonaro, majoritarianism, make good art, Narendra Modi, National Registry of Citizens, Neil Gaiman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rodrigo Duterte, Vladimir Putin | Leave a comment

My country is burning. Why should I work?

Posted on December 21, 2019 by VM

A few days ago, I found asking myself the following question: My country is burning, why should I work? I ended up with some (admittedly inchoate) thoughts, delineated below. I’m trying to fight off this abject helplessness I’m feeling and … Continue reading →

Posted in Life notes, Scicomm | Tagged authoritarianism, Citizenship Amendment Act, critical thinking, democracy, fascism, individual responsibility, ISRO, pluralism, protest, science communication | Leave a comment

Authority, authoritarianism and a scicomm paradox

Posted on September 30, 2019 by VM

I received a sharp reminder to better distinguish between activists and experts irrespective of how right the activists appear to be with the case of Ustad, that tiger shifted from its original habitat in Ranthambore sanctuary to Sajjangarh Zoo in … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, Scicomm | Tagged activism, authoritarianism, authority, expertise, open knowledge, right to information, Sci-Hub, science communication, scientism, Ustad tiger | Comments Off

The metaphorical transparency of responsible media

Posted on January 3, 2017 by VM

We in India often complain about how the media doesn’t care enough to cover science stories. But when we’re looking back and forward in time, we become blind to the media’s efforts. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 2016, 2017, authoritarianism, BJP, climate change, counterproductive continuity, David Fahrenthold, Donald Trump, Facebook, Google News, ideologue, independent media, Jay Rosen, Jeff Leek, left-wing, Philip Stark, religion, right wing, Science, science journalism, science media, speaking truth to power, The Intersection, The Life of Science, The Wire, Twitter | Leave a comment