Reading Gandhi Notes

Here are some notes of Reading Gandhi.

Gandhi on Law and Modern Medicine

The essence of modern system lies in that the dispute is settled by a stranger, third party the judiciary. Gandhi says 'we are in our simplicity and ignorance, imagine that a stranger, by taking our money gives us justice'. He turns his attention towards modern medical system. The relationship obtaining in this sphere between persons designated as doctors and patience is also a kind of communication which Gandhi considered to be wrong and against law of nature, the doctor is motivated by greed and lust for the money, while the patient is motivated by mean to set right the self created malfunctioning of the body. In Gandhi's word 'I have indulged in vices, I contracted the disease, a doctor cures me, the odds are that i shall repeat the vice, had the doctors not intervened, the nature would have acquired mastery over myself, would have freed from vice & would have been happy'. Modern medicine is rejected by Gandhi because it is based on methods of research - that involves violence against criminals and is based on incorrect conception of body-mind relationship and on a wrong kind of communication between persons.

According to Gandhi, hospitals are institutions for propagating sin, men take less care of their body and immortality increases.

On Modernisation

According to Gandhi, modern civilisation neglects ethical and religious dimensions. With women coming out of the veil.

On Technology

Machinery is the chief symbol of modern civilistion. 'It represents a great sin". Machinery is rooted in man's desire for bodily comfort at the cost of everything and ultimately it destroys the body itself by displacing it from the scheme of life. He says "Machinery is like a snake hole which may contain one to hundred snakes. I cannot recall a single good point in connection with machinery. Books can be written to demonstrate its evil making people lazy, creating unemployment, decline of cottage industries, small businessmen suffering due to poverty etc."

On Parliament

Gandhi is also critical of entire edifice of modern politics. For instance, he called parliament a sterile woman and a prostitute. Despite being a sovereign institution it cannot enact a law according to its own judgement but it constantly swayed by outside pressure and it continually shifts its allegiance from one set of ministers to another.