Government Funding of Science

As part of a comment on a post on India’s Chandrayan mission on desicritics.org, I wrote
The government has no business pursuing scientific research.
Here are some responses
kerty: Unfortunately, many sectors can not rely on private commercial transactions. So tax payers have to pool their resources and create capital markets that can allow large scale projects to be [...]

Balancing Rights

In a blog post about pre-marital HIV testing, Sakshi Juneja writes,
“The question of pre-marital HIV testing has been debated in media and on blogs. We are still searching for a balance between:
A) A nation’s effort in curbing a dreaded disease
B) Freeing the society of its prejudices/taboos
C) An individual’s right to protect what is ultimately a [...]

Individuals and Society

It is very common today to find people advocating political solutions to problems (imagined or real). For example,
Problem:
Lot of people take to smoking
Solution:
Tax tobacco products heavily, Ban the portrayal of smoking in cinema, Punish celebrities who dare to smoke
Problem:
High incidence of fatal accidents on roads
Solution:
Make it mandatory to wear helmets while driving
Problem:
Low representation of women in [...]