Mnemonics in Ancient India - AitAar

[Dominik Wujastyk]

On Sun, 21 May 2000, Steve Farmer wrote:

> Proof is tough, but that's true in every scientific discipline. All
> you can do when an historical issue is ambiguous is weigh the evidence
> on both sides and make a tentative judgment.

But this is exactly what Falk has been doing, surely.  Falk has looked
longer and harder at the issue of ancient Indian writing than any other
living scholar I can think of, except perhaps Richard Salomon.  He has
personally walked to all the known Asokan inscription sites.  He has
developed very interesting arguments based on graphic variablility in the
Asokan inscriptions, etc. etc.

Patrick is a much respected colleague and friend, and I'm sure he would be
the first to agree that you can't present his informal conversational
musings on this topic at the same level as Falk's extensive and sustained
scholarly enquiry.

> especially when some of the most important adherents of non-mainsteam
> views are no longer on this list?

To whom are you referring?  The people I have had to unsubscribe for rude
behaviour number no more than about four people, and none of them -- if I
recall -- contributed to the present topic in past discussions.  The
INDOLOGY membership still stands at over 600 people.  I don't think you
can really sustain a view that this list is somehow lacking in people with
diverse views and a willingness to discuss scholarly issues energetically,
even in sharp disagreement.  My policy about rudeness is exactly that; it
has nothing to do with supressing views of one or other faction.

--
Dominik Wujastyk
Founder, INDOLOGY list.