Dear Axel,

I look forward to the final version of your contribution of which I heard a fascinating presentation in Delhi in November 2015. As you know, Frits Staal first expanded the concept of "science" beyond the narrow confines of "natural sciences" in order not just to include "human sciences" but also to go beyond the division between these and the natural sciences; next he showed how "India" contributed, at an early date, significantly and foremost to this "science" in a broadened sense, esp. to ritual science and linguistic science. Current "scientifications" as in the mentioned brochure, however, neglect India's contributions in ritual science (kalpa) and linguistic science (grammar, vyakarana) except for marginally mentioning phonetics: taking the narrow concept of "(natural, including, at the most, medical) science" as main reference point they make every effort to find "relevant" statements in ancient Indian literature (for Ayurveda only Sanskrit texts are considered, Siddha texts in Tamil are neglected; for other knowledge systems I am not aware of serious "Dravidian" counterclaims).

In this context a question to all list members, does anyone have a scan of Frits Staal's What Euclid is to Europe, Panini is to India -- or are they? published in Bangalore, India: National Institute of Advanced Studies, 2005.

Best, Jan Houben

On Tue, 11 Sep 2018 at 09:33, Michaels, Axel via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear all,

In the course of the recent WSC discussions on this list, Dr Iris Iran Farkhondeh recently mentioned a little brochure by the RSS: “There was also this little booklet produced by the RSS (samskrit samsthan and not svayam sevak even though it seems now that the two RSS are getting nearer and nearer) with a mention of astrolomy (sic) and all the other sciences that for sure originated in ancient India.” Unfortunately, she did not keep this booklet. Since I am co-editing a book on this topic, I would be very grateful if someone who attended the conference could share the brochure with me. I would also be interested in relevant and serious literature focusing and the wide-spread claim that all science is rooted in India.

Best regards,

Axel Michaels

Prof. Dr. Axel Michaels

Seniorprofessor | Vice President Heidelberg Academy of Science and Humanities |

Director Research Unit "Historical Documents of Nepal" (नेपालका पूर्व-आधुनिक कालका लिखतहरू), Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities

South Asia Institute
Im Neuenheimer Feld 330
69120 Heidelberg, Germany

http://www.haw.uni-heidelberg.de/forschung/forschungsstellen/nepal/index.de.html

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Jan E.M. Houben

Directeur d'Études, Professor of South Asian History and Philology

Sources et histoire de la tradition sanskrite

École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE, PSL - Université Paris)

Sciences historiques et philologiques

54, rue Saint-Jacques, CS 20525 – 75005 Paris

johannes.houben@ephe.sorbonne.fr

johannes.houben@ephe.psl.eu

https://ephe-sorbonne.academia.edu/JanEMHouben