History is replete with human sacrifices without which mankind would not have progressed
“In pronouncing my sentence, your fear is greater than mine in hearing it,” so claimed Giordano Bruno in the face of an impending torturous death. Bruno, a priest of Dominican Order, and also a philosopher and scientist in the sixteenth century, was tortured and burned at the stake for speaking the truth about the position of the earth in the universe. This revelation was not only an open challenge to existing geocentric conceptions of the universe, but it also put the divine concept of life on the planet at test.
The mettle of Giordano Bruno should not be underestimated. The outspoken priest, having known the facts of universe already revealed by Copernicus, did not recant and was brought back to Rome and handed over to Inquisition, where he remained in prison for eight years and was brutally tortured. Even in the face of unimaginable torture he remained composed and uttered “I neither ought to recant, nor will I.” Immediately after the death sentence, Giordano Bruno’s jaw was clamped shut with an iron gag, his tongue was pierced with an iron spike and another iron spike was driven into his palate. On February 19, 1600, he was driven through the streets of Rome, stripped of his clothes and burned at the stake. But irony of time is that now the image of Bruno stands erected in Naples in honour of his services in philosophy and science, but his tormentors have long been rubbished to the dustbin of history.
History is replete with such human sacrifices without which mankind would have not made progress, not only in the field of science and technology but also in his moral and social development. Unfortunately, these days Muslim countries across the world are deficient of intrepid intellectuals who would dare to speak their minds freely, even in the face of torture and death.
Progress in the western world, be it in the arts or sciences, has been made possible by the sacrifices of such brave and dauntless people. Before the introduction and consequent popularity of humanism in western countries, there has was a tug of war between the clergy, the symbol of retrogression, and anti-clergy, a symbol of enlightenment and moderation. And for all intents and purposes, the latter won this struggle because of sacrifices by their fearless intellectuals. That is why great minds like Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677), John Locke (1632–1704), Pierre Bayle (1647–1706), Voltaire (1694–1778), physicist Isaac Newton (1643–1727), Francis Bacon (1561–1626), David Hume (1711-1776) and many others are praised the world over for their rational mindsets.
Pakistan today is now in the grip of a ferocious vortex, a vortex which has in its own fold a number of religious and political ambivalences and contradictions.
Similarly, Pakistan today is now in the grip of a ferocious vortex, a vortex which has in its own fold a number of religious and political ambivalences and contradictions. At the religious level, it is divided into two main factions, Sunnis and the Shi’a. The venom and hostility between them can be gauged by the fact that they will go to any length to subdue the other. In the same way, in political matters, one faction advocates accepting the role of religion in politics, which is evident from the demands of peace talks with the Taliban by some political parties, whereas another faction is advocating ruthless military operation against the outfits that are continually challenging the writ of the state. In this sorry state of affairs, the government tends to remain dormant, allowing circumstances to worsen.
As a matter of fact, political philosophers in their own times have been proffering political solutions best suited to their societies. In ancient times the purpose of such philosophies was to establish a safeguard against the impending dethronement of kings as opposed to the welfare of the masses but it does not mean that these political philosophies were totally bereft of the idea of public welfare. Ancient philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, etc, certainly strove painstakingly to politicise the people and laid great emphasis on the establishment of constitutional arrangements that would ensure checks and balances between sovereign and subject.
Political philosophies take birth according to the social and economic environment of the society. In ancient times when societies were dogmatic the political thoughts were formed by giving gods and goddesses the supreme power. But with the human intellectual growth, reason stepped forward to play its role, leaving behind the notions of power that were metaphysical.
No doubt, in Pakistan some are trying to promote the culture of rational inquiry and inculcating the principles of equality, justice, individual freedom and respect by casting aside religious fanaticism, but their voices so far have remained unheard. In this respect, the case of the deceased Punjab governor Salman Taseer speaks volumes about our callousness. Had we raised our voice with the governor right at the beginning, when he began to face a media trial, not only his fate may have been different but it would also have paved the way for the liberals to be able to speak their minds without fear.
The growth of Taliban has become possible only due to the vacuum left by seculars. Liberals, being in love with their own lives, do not dare put their life in danger, and the result is an imbalance that tilts society towards dogmatic cultures. Given the situation the only pragmatic solution available to the liberals is to organise and raise their voice to thwart further deterioration.