History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c99.1895

v7.c99.1895

Rationalists (vide 'Communism and Communists'); r. arrive at different conclusions on the same matter in different ages and even in the same age what appears reasonable to one group is held unreasonable by another group 1477; argue that they should not have to prove negative propositions (such as there is no God) but theists must prove the positive proposition of God's existence etc 1473; it should not be supposed that ancient and medieval India had no rationalists or atheists, in fact there were several r. such as the Lokāyatas and rationalistic critics of sacrifices, Śrāddhas etc. 974 (note 1596), 1472, Bentham and the two Mills put forward the theory of utilitarianism 1479; many r. hold that there is no proof of the existence of God or any higher Intelligence than man's, deny individual soul and immortality, and argue that in all religions there is some truth with a great deal of error 1472, problem of evil in the world is, acc to r., a great stumbling block in accepting God as good, kind, omnipotent and all-knowing, 1473, r and utilitarians are not agreed upon any definite principles of conduct for common men and women 1480, r substitute blocks of humanity or the leaders of such blocks for authority and worship, the likely result being that humanity would soon be wiped out 1474, warning of Gītā against unsettling the minds of ignorant persons 1480.