School of Physical Sciences
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Title: India in the Global Context over a very long period
Speaker: Pradipta Chaudhury
School of Social Sciences, JNU
Date: 24– April -2019
Time: 4 pm, Wednesday
Venue: Seminar Room, SPS
Abstract : We try to understand some major trends in India in the context of evolution of human civilization over the last 5000-6000 years. Using the dictum of the Buddha to respect facts and logic, and the methods of interdisciplinary, comparative and long-period analyses, the received textbook wisdom is reexamined.
It is seen that at least six interrelated aspects of human civilization, namely, geography, political-economy, instincts of violence and wars, human capital, science and technology and trade and finance have played crucial roles in the evolution of human civilization. The success of and dominance by the western European countries and their offshoots, during the last 200-500 years are seen to be founded on greed, violence, cunning, deception and loot. On the other hand, the much older Asian (Chinese and Indian) civilizations and traditions are seen to be founded on high levels of human capital, science and technology, balanced political-economic structures, control of greed, harmony, and rule based centralized and de-centralized administration.India’s early rise to the position of the center of human civilization and her preeminence during the period from 2500 BC to 700 AD, the subsequent decline of northern India and the continued preeminence of southern India till about 1600 AD, and the rise and rise of China over the very very long period and her predominant position in the world since about 800 AD to 1800 AD and her remarkable rise in the past 70 years provide huge lessons for us