Appreciating Antithesis

This book introduced in this column is authored by Prakash Bikalpa, who has been known for his earlier works titled "Desh Kina Banena" and "Sambriddhi Ko Bato," among others that discuss principally the several socio-economic and political issues, constraints, and impediments that throw spanners in the wheel of this country's development and how to address them systematically. The title of the present book, "Antithesis," is catchy, appealing, and meaningful, and in a way, it is self-explanatory too. It is one of the best-selling books on the market and has been published in a second edition.

In a literal sense, antithesis is the presentation of counterpoints to emphasise contrast and contradictions inherent in the ideas and ideologies. In a way, it carries the Marxist-cum-Hegelian overtone. Marxism is premised upon dialectics to stress that contradictions and conflicts are inherent in ideologies, institutions, and systems. The scientific, progressive, and forward-looking idea survives and prevails, leaving the irrelevant, backward-looking, and pseudo-scientific notions and concepts behind, languishing in peril. 

Antithesis, as discussed in this book, underscores the importance of inquisitiveness, curiosity, and predisposition to question existing ideas and notions to assess and examine their utility, rationality, and reliability. 

The writer of this book argues that learning to formulate appropriate questions on the relevance and reliability of existing order or pattern of thinking is critically important in constructing and enhancing innovative discourse and leveraging deeper thinking. 

Enlightenment thinkers like Steven Pinker and Fritjof Capra and philosophers such as John Dewey have affirmed that fostering the culture of inquiry requires a scientifically rooted and objectively guided discovery process that aims to promote and nurture the values, dispositions, and skills of an independent scientific researcher. These values, dispositions, and abilities comprise curiosity; willingness to formulate relevant questions; and commitment to constructing knowledge through dialogue, disagreement, challenge, and attentive observation. 

This book has twenty-eight short- to medium-sized articles explaining different facets and dimensions of antithesis. The style of translating and explaining the complex concepts into a simple, intelligible, and appropriate presentation is very appreciable. Explaining the complex scientific concepts or phenomena in simple constructions to ensure that the message gets across to the different levels and layers of readers characterises the author's versatility. 

The chapters like Artificial Intelligence, Samajik Antithesis, Rajyako Antithesis, Rajnitik Antithesis, Mangal Savyata ko Engineering, Manchheko Itihas ra Bartaman, et al. are some of the readings that derive sufficient evidence and references from scientific works, ideas, and concepts. 

Moreover, they are explained and discussed in a simplified way that an ordinary reader can easily grasp and relate the complex concepts to their appropriate context and perspectives. 

While going through the articles cursorily, it looks like the author's mind roams freely across various disciplines and knowledge areas, challenging the basic assumptions and methods of sciences and social sciences by searching for general patterns and accordingly reaching conclusions. As a result, even a lay reader may understand and connect with others in broader relationships and perspectives. 

The articles set forth arguments and counterarguments to substantiate that antithesis is at the core of modern social, political, and economic achievement. 

A separate article titled Antithesis, from which the title of the book itself is borrowed, dissects the meaning of the terms, citing examples from Nepal as well. The writer gives credit to the elder politicians and political leaders in Nepal who questioned the legitimacy and relevance of the existing social and political order and struggled to supplant it with a new spiral of progressive and democratic changes. 

The democratic republican form of government we have today is the product of this "antithetical" drive against the existing political and social system anomalies and practices. However, the author seems unhappy with how contemporary democratic federal politics is being conducted and navigated and argues in favour of restructuring it. 

Understanding how the modern world works cannot be done without appreciating the scientific basis of the evolution, extent, and consequences of the multifaceted process in society, politics, and development. This book sincerely serves the purpose of understanding reality. 

This book can be helpful for researchers, school and higher-level students, ordinary readers, and even politicians to weed out superstitions, false consciousness, and misunderstandings and replace them with a scientific and rational temper, allusions, and evidence.

(The author is presently associated with the Policy Research Institute (PRI) as a senior research fellow.)