Humanist perspective of Contemporary world
Gujarat Mumbai Rationalist Association, (State Unit) organized the seminar for two days 25th –26th March 2017 at Ahmadabad in Gujarat Vidyapith. (Report).
"A LEAF OF THE TREE MOVES WITHOUT THE CONCENT OF GOD".
Topics were (A) Charles Darwin theory of Evolution (B) Materialism and the universe is law governed(C) Rationalism & Democratic way of life (D) Concept of Secularism (E) Militant Nationalism of Donald Trump & Emerging such nationalist trends in other countries of the world( particularly in Indian context also) (F) Concept fraternity as given in the preamble of our constitution.
The president of the state unit Bipin Parikh ( Shroff ) veteran Radical Humanist gladly narrated that delegates came from all the corners of the state. They came from urban as well as semi urban towns and small villages of the state. There were delegates from trade unions, news papers columnists, editors of prominent Gujarati monthlies, professors of different universities, advocates, and many members of our local rationalist centers of the state. . Total strength of our delegates was about more than 100.
The main purpose of the seminar was to create intellectual clarity on different humanist subjects among the members of the institution. We consider rationalism as the tool to derive objective truth. No movement worth the name can sustain without its intellectual – philosophical roots. The rational attitude of the human being is developed during his biological struggle of the existence like other living species. Secondly the law governess of the universe has helped the man, to understand the forces of nature for making his life sustainable on this earth.
(1) Charles Darwin's theory of evolution ( Pro. Nitin Prjapati)
To-day's world is totally different from the world of last five hundred years. They did not know the laws of motion as well as laws related to the movement of heavenly bodies. Religious authorities were not ready to accept discoveries of Galileo and others related to astronomy and laws of physics. There was a coalition of interest between the state power and the power of the religious authorities. They persecuted the pioneer of the modern science because they challenged the established age –old truth mentioned in Bible.
There were others scientists who were working on the other worldly subjects like geography, biology and natural sciences. They moved round the earth via sea expedition in different parts of the world. They met different people; saw different living species and living plants. They found out various metals like coal, gold, silver from the different part of the world. Again this new information's challenged the truths of existing order of the day.
The French Revolution took place in this era which challenged the existing social order of feudalism, political order of the princely state of kingship and religious order of Christianity. It gave birth to three human values Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. It paved the way for the democratic way of life against the religious way of life.
All these above combined forces created conditions to think about the evolution of living species including the origin of the man. The sea voyage of C. Darwin and Arthur Wallace derived laws of science outside the laboratory of physics and chemistry. They collected thousands of physical specimens of plants, fossils and living organism etc during their sea voyages. They found out continuous change of evolution of living species independent of God's creation. Darwin published the book on evolution in the year of 1859. Its name was "Origin of species by the principal of natural selection." This book gave the independent existence of living species without any religious authorities. He derived the conclusion that matter is the final and only physical reality. He was the first biologist who found out that the present day complicated and complex living life was generated from the single cell.
The Christianity challenged the Darwin's theory of evolution by all means at its command. It gave an alternative theory of evolution known as the theory of "Intelligent Design".
