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Assessing Scientific Evidences in the Aryan Debate


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1 Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India
 

For a proper study of the controversy surrounding the Aryan invasion (migration) theory, it is essential to recognize the nature of this controversy. It is a multi-disciplinary controversy among specialist scholars with conflicting expert opinions. Widely accepted ground rules are essential to study such a controversy. Historians’ criteria for expert opinion are validated with Indian judicial standards for expert testimony. They minimize subjectivity in the assessment of evidences. The Aryan debate must be conducted to be consistent with these criteria. Vedic rituals satisfy these criteria, which fundamentally alters the nature of the Aryan debate. Other scientific evidences can also qualify if scientists can demonstrate that they satisfy the criteria. The primary focus of the Aryan debate becomes a scrutiny of the reliability and credibility of the contradictory settled conclusions.
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  • Assessing Scientific Evidences in the Aryan Debate

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Authors

T. R. S. Prasanna
Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India

Abstract


For a proper study of the controversy surrounding the Aryan invasion (migration) theory, it is essential to recognize the nature of this controversy. It is a multi-disciplinary controversy among specialist scholars with conflicting expert opinions. Widely accepted ground rules are essential to study such a controversy. Historians’ criteria for expert opinion are validated with Indian judicial standards for expert testimony. They minimize subjectivity in the assessment of evidences. The Aryan debate must be conducted to be consistent with these criteria. Vedic rituals satisfy these criteria, which fundamentally alters the nature of the Aryan debate. Other scientific evidences can also qualify if scientists can demonstrate that they satisfy the criteria. The primary focus of the Aryan debate becomes a scrutiny of the reliability and credibility of the contradictory settled conclusions.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv114%2Fi09%2F1978-1985