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When an Atheist Becomes a Believer: Dawkins' Dialogue with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

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  It is always painful to watch one of your intellectual heroes getting older. While I and, I am sure thousands of atheists across the globe, want immortality for Richard Dawkins, he does not seem to be becoming any healthier.   But I guess, the fragility of human life is yet another reason to move away from a religious intelligent-design argument. If we were created by god, why would our existence be so fragile? Why would a creator want its creation to be susceptible to so many diseases and the sufferings that come along with old age? But this essay is not about Richard Dawkins getting old. Rather it is about the dialogue he had with ex-Muslim and ex atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Ayaan Hirsi Ali who was the bastion of atheism (the fifth horsewoman) and a feminist, became a Christian a few months ago. While this came as a shock to many, what was sad was seeing Richard Dawkins stupefied at the reasons Ali gave for her conversion. Dawkins in the initial phase of the discussion says that he w
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In praise of the 9 to 5

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The GenZ and millennials have better and more diverse career options than any other previous generation ever to live on Earth. Professions that could not have even imagined are now popular among millions of teenagers and young adults. A profession like travel blogger or professional mukbangers (those who stream themselves eating food) or making 10-20 seconds reels for a living would be a joke for the people of previous generations.  The GenZ and millennials seem to have killed the 9-5 jobs; the mainstream jobs of an accountant, doctor, teacher, lawyer, driver, and many others. The internet has provided us with the infinite leverage to scale up niche activities and interests and form communities. However, I believe that this notion around niche professions and a soft contempt for the mainstream professions, especially among teenagers and young adults is completely misplaced. And covid-19 lockdowns have made my task of proving it easier. When the lockdowns were imposed the entire cou
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Liberals fail to understand the Indian Problem

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The term ‘liberal’ or ‘liberalism’ is undergoing a transformation in recent times. It is not what it meant a couple of decades ago. Today in India, liberal is associated with a wealthy lot who discuss poverty in Starbucks at Khan Market. More or less, they are left-leaning and dislike the BJP and the Modi government.  Unfortunately, like how India has skewed the meaning of critical terms like secularism, even ‘liberal’ or ‘liberalism’ is understood, some would say differently, but I would say wrongly in India.  A liberal is someone who stands for principles like substantive equality, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc., A liberal by definition is someone who is open to ideas and discussions and most important, evidence. Unfortunately, the ones who are associated with liberalism in India act contrary to the fundamental facets of liberalism and some even call themselves liberals though they are not.  And in India, we miss this point. We fail to understand the meaning of liberali
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Religious Diversity is the Proof of the Absurdity and Arbitrariness of Religions

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In India since childhood, we are taught, to the extent that it borders on indoctrination, that India is a country that exemplifies unity in diversity, especially religious diversity. India is a nation of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Parsis, Buddhists and other religions, we are told. But in reality, though these religions live in India they dislike each other, and naturally. The Pew Research Survey rightly puts it- ‘Indians value religious tolerance, though they also live religiously segregated lives’. Many have claimed that India accepts other religions and not just tolerates them. This claim is absolutely untrue given the fundamental nature of religions. All religions are exclusionary, not inclusive.  Christians pray to Jesus, Muslims pray to Allah. Hinduism on the other hand is so fragmented that there is no way to pinpoint one principle that applies to all factions of Hindus, except the caste system. Jews, Buddhists and Jains also have their own beliefs. The diversity
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Astrology is not just wrong, it's a scam

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Science and technology have proliferated every corner of our lives. The device you are using to read this article would be considered magic by the people of the early twentieth century. Science and technology gave us a vaccine within one year that is now saving millions of people. Most people in the world will not deny the utility of science and how it has improved human lives. Unfortunately, in the modern scientific age, one sees astrology sections even in reputed newspaper websites such as The Times of India and The Indian Express. Vogue has an article titled- ‘13 astrologers you need to follow on Instagram now’. While astrology was popular among middle-aged and older people in India, the pandemic induced uncertainty and job loss have attracted young adults to astrology, says a report . Thousands of people are shelling out a lot of money to get a peek into their future over phone calls with astrologers. The tragedy is that the GenZ and millennials who glorify science and technol
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COVID-19, vaccines, modern medicine and humanity

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2020 was a year of uncertainty. Uncertainty was looming over every aspect of our lives. The healthcare institutions were uncertain about the protocols, the economy was crashing due to uncertainty, educational institutions were scheduling, postponing and cancelling examinations, and it was also uncertain if a person infected with the virus will come out of the hospital alive. If I were to use one word to describe 2020, it will be- uncertainty.   However, 2021 is different. Uncertainty is abating with every passing month. The cause for the receding uncertainty in the economy, medical science, college and school schedules, and governance, in general, is primarily (if not only) because of vaccines. Even though India saw one of the worst impacts of COVID-19 in the months of April-May, faster vaccination was the only long term hope to get out of the dreadful COVID-19 situation.  When WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public emergency of international concern in January 2020, not many peop
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Why Eating Meat is WRONG- Environmentally and Morally

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Every time PETA tweets about choosing a vegan alternative, there is a backlash. Most of the criticisms against PETA are with regard to its political inclination and intention. Recently, PETA urged Amul to go vegan and produce vegan milk and milk products. For a few days, PETA and Amul were trending on Twitter. Most of the tweets we attacking PETA's intention to destroy the Indian dairy sector and Indian society's basic fabric.  Similarly, there is backlash when someone suggests that goats must not be slaughtered for Eid. And with the Indian society's heavy reliance on dairy products, it has become a moral crime to even utter anything in support of the animals being tortured in these industries.  What is even more grave is the meat industry. In the 21st century, where even the rights of unborn human beings are talked about, some non-human living beings are slaughtered for mostly taste. There are several arguments FOR non-vegetarianism put forth by non-vegetarians. And I wi
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