In this new episode of Legends of the Philosophy of Science, Arup K. Chatterjee sits down with Professor Dr. Naresh Singh, Executive Dean of the Jindal School of Government and Policy and founding director of the Centre for Complexity Economics and Applied Spirituality. With more than four decades of experience across the United Nations Development Programme, the Canadian federal government, and international policy circles, Professor Singh brings a singular depth of wisdom to a conversation that ranges across science, philosophy, policy, and consciousness.
Rationality and Intuition: A Lost Balance
At the heart of the discussion lies a pressing question: How do we know what we know? Drawing from a quote often attributed to Einstein — that the rational mind is a faithful servant and the intuitive mind a sacred gift — Professor Singh argues that modern society has empowered the servant and forgotten the gift. Scientific rationality, while immensely powerful and indispensable, has become overvalued to the point that intuition, wisdom, and inner knowing have been quietly displaced.
He traces this imbalance to the scientific revolution, noting that in exalting rationality alone, we have come to see ourselves as isolated individuals separated from nature and one another. This worldview has contributed directly to the Anthropocene, an era defined by human domination of the planet and the cascading environmental and social crises that accompany it.
Data-Driven vs Evidence-Driven Thinking
One of the most compelling sections of the episode explores the modern fetishization of data. Professor Singh warns that in conflating data with evidence, society has opened itself to misinformation, manipulation, and a loss of discernment. The inability to distinguish scientifically grounded data from mere opinion — or even deliberate disinformation — is, he argues, profoundly damaging for young minds shaped by social media’s distortions.
Data remains essential, but overreliance on data without wisdom leads to what Singh calls a “massive explosive” within consciousness — a fragmentation that manifests outwardly as the polycrisis and metacrisis of our times.
The Question of the Self
The conversation then ventures deeper into philosophical terrain, discussing the nature of the individual self. Drawing from ancient Indian traditions — particularly Advaita Vedanta and Buddhist thought — Professor Singh reflects on the “neti neti” method of self-inquiry, which reveals the self not as a discrete organism but as pure awareness. Modern neuroscience, he notes, is increasingly converging on the same insight.
This exploration leads to the question: Does the individual matter? Singh answers decisively: yes — but only when we correctly understand the nature of individuality as embodied consciousness, not ego-driven separateness.
Quantum Physics and Consciousness
Addressing the connection between spirituality and physics, Professor Singh points to the work of the great quantum physicists — Planck, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Einstein — all of whom, in their own ways, concluded that consciousness is foundational to reality. This was not mysticism but the result of rigorous scientific inquiry.
He draws a distinction between “top-class physicists,” who reached this conclusion, and materialist thinkers who remain bound to older paradigms.
Knowledge, Responsibility, and Applied Spirituality
The episode concludes with a reflection on academic responsibility: to generate knowledge, but also to share it — wisely, rigorously, and with openness. Professor Singh emphasizes the importance of teaching inner knowing in a secular, academically robust manner, arguing that personal experience of consciousness is not only valid but urgently needed in the social sciences. His recent works — including Applied Spirituality and Sustainable Development and the forthcoming From Fragmentation to Wholeness — embody this integration of scientific insight and spiritual understanding.
A Continuing Conversation
This episode marks the beginning of an ongoing series between Arup K. Chatterjee and Professor Naresh Singh on the philosophy of science, consciousness, and the future of knowledge. With their shared interest in intuition, rationality, and the deeper structures of understanding, their dialogue promises to illuminate some of the most vital questions of the twenty-first century.
Arup K. Chatterjee 