Scientification and Scientism in the Humanities: International Conference
Venue: Committee Room, JNU Convention Center, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
25-26 November 2015
Venue: Committee Room, JNU Convention Center, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
25-26 November 2015
Organizing Institutions:
Freie Universität Berlin
Heidelberg University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Manipal University
Organizers
Christoph Wulf (Freie Universität Berlin)
Harish Naraindas (JNU, New Delhi)
Axel Michaels (Heidelberg University)
Sundar Sarukkai (Manipal University)
About: A joint conference will be organized by Prof. Christoph Wulf from FU Berlin and Prof. Axel Michaels from Heidelberg University at JNU on 25th November 2015. The topic of the conference is of central importance in the heated discussion in 'India if Sanskrit. Knowledge can be considered as an early form of scientific knowledge. In politics quite a few people assume that Sanskrit knowledge is a preform of scientific knowledge and use the label "scientific" to postulate continuity between Indian cultural traditions and modern sciences. The conference participants will discuss theses discourses and will analyze to what degree the notion of science is used or misused to reinforce and legitimize existing cultural and societal traditions.
Conference Program
Wednesday, 25th of November
9.00-9.30 Opening
9:00-9:10 Introductory Remarks by Christoph Wulf / Harish Naraindas
9:10-9:20 Opening Remarks by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. S.K. Sopory
9:20 – 9:30 Remarks by the Dean, School of Social Sciences, Prof. C.P. Chandrasekhar
Session I - Challenges and Limits of Sciences
Chair: Surinder Jodhka, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, JNU
09.30 – 10.15: Sundar Sarukkai (Manipal): How science itself challenges scientism
10.15 – 11.00: Christoph Wulf (Berlin): Dominance of Scientific Knowledge and the Devaluation of Other Forms of Knowledge.
Session II - Health and Medicine
Chair: Gordon McOuat, History of Science and Technology Programme, University of King's College, Halifax
11.30 - 12.15: William S. Sax (Heidelberg): The Birth of the (Exorcism) Clinic: medicine, media and the jinn
12.15 – 13.00: Ananda Samir Chopra (Heidelberg): The science in Āyurveda – forming contemporary Āyurveda between modern science and traditional knowledge
14.30 – 15.15: Harish Naraindas (New Delhi): Techno-sacramentalism. Magic, religion and science in German medicine
Session III - Nature, Agriculture, and Nutrition
Chair: Ram Ramaswamy, School of Physical Sciences, JNU
15.45 – 16.30: Susan Visvanathan (New Delhi): Thinking about agriculture in an industrializing economy
16.30 -17.15: V. Sujatha (New Delhi): Food: A numerical value. Understanding nutrition and body weight in the global South and North
17.15- 18.00 Daniel Münster (Heidelberg): After the agrarian crisis: alternative agronomics of natural farming in South India
9:00-9:10 Introductory Remarks by Christoph Wulf / Harish Naraindas
9:10-9:20 Opening Remarks by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. S.K. Sopory
9:20 – 9:30 Remarks by the Dean, School of Social Sciences, Prof. C.P. Chandrasekhar
Session I - Challenges and Limits of Sciences
Chair: Surinder Jodhka, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, JNU
09.30 – 10.15: Sundar Sarukkai (Manipal): How science itself challenges scientism
10.15 – 11.00: Christoph Wulf (Berlin): Dominance of Scientific Knowledge and the Devaluation of Other Forms of Knowledge.
Session II - Health and Medicine
Chair: Gordon McOuat, History of Science and Technology Programme, University of King's College, Halifax
11.30 - 12.15: William S. Sax (Heidelberg): The Birth of the (Exorcism) Clinic: medicine, media and the jinn
12.15 – 13.00: Ananda Samir Chopra (Heidelberg): The science in Āyurveda – forming contemporary Āyurveda between modern science and traditional knowledge
14.30 – 15.15: Harish Naraindas (New Delhi): Techno-sacramentalism. Magic, religion and science in German medicine
Session III - Nature, Agriculture, and Nutrition
Chair: Ram Ramaswamy, School of Physical Sciences, JNU
15.45 – 16.30: Susan Visvanathan (New Delhi): Thinking about agriculture in an industrializing economy
16.30 -17.15: V. Sujatha (New Delhi): Food: A numerical value. Understanding nutrition and body weight in the global South and North
17.15- 18.00 Daniel Münster (Heidelberg): After the agrarian crisis: alternative agronomics of natural farming in South India
Thursday, 26th of November
Session IV - Mathematics and Computer Sciences
Chair: Girish Nath Jha, Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, JNU
09.00 – 09.45: Axel Michaels (Heidelberg): Mathematics and Vedic mathematics
09.45 – 10.30: Anand Mishra (Heidelberg): Sanskrit and computer science
Session V - Philosophy/Religion and Sciences: A difficult relationship
Chair: Gopal Guru, Centre for Political Studies, JNU
11.00 – 11.45: Franson Manjali: (New Delhi): Modernity, colonialism and the emergence of a scientific approach in language studies
11.45 - 12.30: Jan Houben (Paris): The Art of Grammar: 'science', human interest, and the construction of cultural and political worlds
Session VI- Language / Subjectivity and Science
Chair: NN
14.00 – 14.45: Babu Thaliath (New Delhi): The Scientism of Early Modernity and the prevailing scholastic discourse on principium individuationis
14.45 – 15.30: Almut Renger (Berlin): Legitimation strategies of a spiritual authority figure
16.00 – 16.45 Dhruv Raina:
Title TBA ("Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." Albert Einstein)
Session VII - Final Discussion and Planning of future joint research on the relationship between practical knowledge and science
16.45-17.45 Concluding Remarks and Vote of Thanks by Harish Naraindas
Chair: Girish Nath Jha, Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, JNU
09.00 – 09.45: Axel Michaels (Heidelberg): Mathematics and Vedic mathematics
09.45 – 10.30: Anand Mishra (Heidelberg): Sanskrit and computer science
Session V - Philosophy/Religion and Sciences: A difficult relationship
Chair: Gopal Guru, Centre for Political Studies, JNU
11.00 – 11.45: Franson Manjali: (New Delhi): Modernity, colonialism and the emergence of a scientific approach in language studies
11.45 - 12.30: Jan Houben (Paris): The Art of Grammar: 'science', human interest, and the construction of cultural and political worlds
Session VI- Language / Subjectivity and Science
Chair: NN
14.00 – 14.45: Babu Thaliath (New Delhi): The Scientism of Early Modernity and the prevailing scholastic discourse on principium individuationis
14.45 – 15.30: Almut Renger (Berlin): Legitimation strategies of a spiritual authority figure
16.00 – 16.45 Dhruv Raina:
Title TBA ("Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." Albert Einstein)
Session VII - Final Discussion and Planning of future joint research on the relationship between practical knowledge and science
16.45-17.45 Concluding Remarks and Vote of Thanks by Harish Naraindas
Please register yourself at scientismconference2015@gmail.com (Name, institutional address, email id, phone number).
Further Details: http://www.facebook.com/events/1694327937520481/
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