Civility on the list

[Ven. Tantra]

Dr Valerie J Roebuck wrote:

<<In the interests of civility, may I please suggest
that members of the list avoid the words "heresy" and
"heretic", which to the European ear have ineradicable
connotations of the Inquisition and the stake?>>

Dear sir,

Thank you for raising an interesting point. But don�t
feel so squeamish! No ones pointing the finger at you.
Your sensitive post alludes to the European past when
�heresy� was used as a Dark Age tool of terror and
coercion. But you are also suggesting, at least
indirectly, that the term has no valid place in a
scientific community. My view is different. I would
further put forward that the �scientific community� is
exactly the place where �heresy� should be. Yes,
beneath the lens of a scrutinizing microscope. All the
same, I do concur that this needs to be viewed with a
little sensitivity. And if that were possible, one
would likely see that in contrast to a widely held
misconception, heretics have never been the enemy of
truth, nor the purveyor of fraud and imitation.
Heretics are highly unconventional beings who - in so
being precisely what they are - embolden later
generations to advance beyond every form of
ideological ghetto. One would also come to understand
that the �concept� of heresy is the Idiot Child
begotten from the marriage of Dogma and Fanaticism.

Thanking you for you patience,

Ven Tantra


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