Black as Evil

[V.V. Raman]

<Indologists differ from the methodology of New Age writers like Georg
Feuerstein, ...>

1. Very gently and politely stated.
This is the conflict in many Indology-related discussions:
(a) On the one hand, there are the mystical, esoteric, sometimes
pseudoscientific, interpretations of ancient views and visions, based on the
premise that those are <higher truths> emanating from a supernatural source.
(b) On the other hand, there are the no-nonsense, post-Enlightenment,
scholarly, analytical discussions, based on the premise that everything is
simply historical/cultural/human.

2. Parallels to this may be found in the Judeo-Christian, Islamic, and other
religions traditions also.

3. The question is not which is right or which is wrong, but to recognize that
(a) is appealing and relevant to  <spiritual seekers> and <cultural/religious
adherents>, and (b) is appealing and relevant to the disinterested scholar and
explorer of the history of ideas. When representatives from both groups come
into a discussion, profound disagreements are almost inevitable.

V. V. Raman
November 28, 2000