Politeia

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...

  Winning the War of Ideas Wars are not always fought at national borders with guns and grenades. Many are fought with pen and paper by citizens, politicians, intellectuals and writers. These wars might not be wars in the ordinary meaning of the word. But these are equally important, if not more than the wars soldiers fight at the border. This is the war of ideas. Cold War was not just a war between the USA and USSR for military supremacy; it was also a war between the ideals of democracy and single-party authoritarianism; free market and closed economy; capitalism and socialism. The Indian independence movement was not just a struggle against colonialism; it was also a struggle for establishing the supremacy of freedom, self-determination, and democracy. Unfortunately, the factors that led human civilization towards development and progress are under threat and suspicion in today’s time- the values of rationality, scientific thinking, freedom of speech and appreciation of ...

  A LETTER TO MY FELLOW ATHEISTS   Dear Fellow Atheists, In every discussion on right to religion and religious freedom, atheists are often disregarded and through this letter, I express why atheists must be vocal about their beliefs. If we do not speak for ourselves, no one else will. Being an atheist is not just about not believing in God. Atheism is a result of a thought process and not a blind belief. However, with the scientific and logical approach to ideologies and beliefs, one is confronted with several moral, political and social dilemma. In order to address some of these issues, I write this letter to you.   The corona crisis Last year, 2020, was a tough year for every human being because of COVID-19. While many sought comfort in God and religion, we, atheists, turned towards science and technology. While many considered COVID-19 to be part of God’s plan, we considered it to be one of the worst health crises this generation has faced yet and awaite...

  Taxation has been part of the economic system since ancient times.  Every country has some sort of taxation system. Tax is one of the biggest sources of revenue for governments. However, despite the ubiquity of tax, it has been criticized by many, especially libertarians.  Socialists, on the other hand, consider the taxation system as an equalizer; for redistribution of wealth. However, this essay does not echo the already existing literature on the redistribution of the wealth factor of the taxation system. Rather, as the title suggests, it makes a moral argument for taxation. To understand the moral side of taxation, we need to first understand the most common arguments for and against taxation.   FOR and AGAINST The most popular arguments made FOR tax are- redistribution of wealth, the wealthy need to give back to society and wealthy anyway have a lot of money to spare. On the other hand, libertarians claim that taxation is theft and government by...

  What Lawyers must Learn from Scientists to protect and promote Constitutional Morality Lawyers have always been considered or at least expected to be people with notable communication skills, and the ability to simplify complex and intricate legal concepts while making submissions in courts. The TV shows and internet series have contributed to this image significantly. On the other hand, scientists and engineers are often envisaged as book worms, nerds and geeks. Computer scientists are depicted as people who are glued to their powerful PCs and physicist to their white/blackboards. Again, television shows have also played a role in this. Nonetheless, people at the top of both the legal profession and scientific communities are highly intelligent and smart individuals without a doubt. Advocates argue matters which have great significance in our daily lives. The judgements of the court decide our freedoms and govern our lives. A person who commits a wrong cannot claim ignorance...

On September 2, 1962 President John F. Kennedy made the momentous speech of the century. He said- “ We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too”. This speech marked the beginning of the decade long effort of the United States to beat the Soviet Union in the ‘space-race’ during the Cold War era. Thousands of engineers, scientists, doctors, mechanics, clerks, and other professionals came together on the mission of the United States to take two men to the surface of the moon and bring them home safely. Several scientific advancements were made even before the Apollo era by both US and former USSR. The USSR was the pioneer in many great le...