In the discussion on reality, we observed that knowledge acquired through the means of senses and the mind is unreliable, and that there is no more reality in the world we see around us than in a dream. We concluded by noting that true knowledge would be one that transcends the mind and the senses, and […]
Misleading Uses of Measures of Central Tendency
Almost everybody knows that measures of central tendency are an important part of statistical analysis, and that mean, median, and mode are the most common approaches to finding a representative central tendency. However, what is often found lacking is an insight into which of these will serve our purpose in a given scenario, and an […]
Is Reality Real?
As part of an interesting discussion on knowledge, belief, faith and religion, I was told these exact words – “Beliefs and knowledge are mutually exclusive. You either have a belief in something or you have knowledge about something. You cannot have a belief in knowledge“. There are many others who have similarly asserted this difference, […]
True Colours
The bougainvillea is an interesting class of plants. When watered well, they do not bloom – instead, they remain green. However, when deprived of water and exposed to the rigours of a harsh summer, they assume diverse and spectacular colours that make them stand out. Similarly, it is when faced with adversity that the true qualities in […]
Pyramid Schemes and the Unexpected Hanging Paradox
The Unexpected Hanging Paradox is an interesting paradox which is essentially described as follows: “A judge tells a condemned prisoner that he will be hanged at noon on one weekday in the following week but that the execution will be a surprise to the prisoner. He will not know the day of the hanging until the […]
Atheism as a Religion
These days, atheism is quite the fad. Many young people take to atheism because they are fed up with the dogma and fanatism that is usually associated with traditional religions. They turn to atheism which is generally associated with Science, which in turn has an aura of being fair, rational, open, progressive, reliable and useful. […]
Role of Religion
Religion, it seems to me, came into existence as a result of man’s search for an inner meaning and purpose of life. The beginning was, presumably, man’s inability to understand many natural processes and hence ascribing them to a higher power – to be feared and to be venerated. Over centuries (or millenniums), this fear […]
Why the Loss in Karnataka is Good for BJP
I think that the electoral loss in Karnataka will do more good than harm for BJP in the long term, and here are 4 reasons why BJP’s government in Karnataka was the party’s Achilles heel – the only weak spot that prevented it from launching a full-fledged attack on UPA government’s unbeatable record on corruption. […]
Counsel to Girls
(One of my favourite poems and one that I show to people who act like it is a sin for parents to get their daughters married as soon as they are of marriageable age) Counsel to Girls by Robert Herrick (1591-1674) Gather ye rose-buds while ye may, Old time is still a-flying: And this same […]
What Is True Freedom?
Previously on avalokanam, we saw what is not true freedom, which also provided some insight into what constitutes true freedom. To build further on this discussion, let’s start by defining freedom to be the ability to make choices and follow those choices. For an alcoholic, the decision to drink is not a choice, but a […]