topnaman | Malaria blog

Ramachandra Guha, whose writing has brought me much profit, described the three tests for science in a country such as India formulated by the British-born Indian architect Laurie Baker: 1) is it eco-friendly? 2) is it non-violent? 3) is it poverty-reducing? This vision of science complements the notion of the method as a means of greater service promulgated by others. It eschews the public persona and elicits, instead, quiet determination. It is fundamentally outcome oriented and that too with the long-view. In this age of accomplishment evaluated on the timescale of press releases and serious matters adorned with glossy sentimentality, I wonder how we can build such an ethos in our own research community? At the risk of non-attribution (for I cannot find the source), we must recall that true dharma requires the unification of knowledge with action.