Consciousness and Scientific Knowledge

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About the Author

Professor D.P. Chattopadhyaya is Founder-Chairman of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research; Chairman, Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation, Calcutta and ex-President of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. He is former Union Minister of Commerce, and Governor of the State of Rajasthan. Currently he is the Chairman, Indian Philosophical Congress; Chairman, Centre for Studies in Civilizations and Director and General Editor, Project of History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization (50 Vols.). Among the 30 books he has authored and edited are Individuals and Societies (1967), Environment, Evolution and Value (1982), Induction, Probability and Skepticism (1991) and Societies, Cultures and Ideologies (2001).

Foreword

The Radhakrishnan Memorial Lecture is, perhaps, the most important annual academic event of the Institute. The Lecture was instituted to honour the memory of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. It is also a mark of our gratitude to him for his gift of Rashtrapati Nivas to the Institute. Every year, an eminent scholar-from India and abroad-is invited to deliver the lecture on a topic of his choice.

The 2000 Radhakrishnan Memorial Lecture was delivered by Professor D.P. Chattopadhyaya, an eminent philosopher, original thinker and extraordinary scholar. His lecture was on the subject of "Consciousness and Scientific Knowledge". Consciousness is one of the most burning topics among a variety of scholars-neuroscientists, philosophers, micro-biologists, computer experts etc. The inspiring lecture by Professor D.P. Chattopadhyaya raised many questions and issues in respect of the theme of consciousness. The lecture was well- discussed by the Fellows and the scholars. The lecture along with the discussions was one of the most exciting academic events of the year at the Institute.

I do hope that this intellectually stimulating lecture would be of much interest to scientists as well as spiritualists and would give a direction to the study of this important theme. It is my privilege to present here the 2000 Radhakrishnan Memorial Lecture of the Institute to the world of scholarship.