I'm currently taking a course on eastern religions, and it might be the most amazing class I've ever taken (this semester also has the interesting Linguistic Theory, drab GenChemII, and the useful GenBioII), even though we've only just started with Hinduism.
One of the most famous Hindus, at least in recent times, is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, or just Gandhi. The following are his 7 deadly sins:
2) Pleasure without conscience
3) Knowledge without character
4) Commerce without morality
5) Science without humanity
6) Worship without sacrifice
7) Politics without principles
8) Rights without responsibilities
"Wealth Without Work"
This one I'm a little stuck on whether this is a good or bad thing. It's great, since everyone wants to feel like a rich hotshot superstar without having done anything to get there. However, if that's the case, what do we learn? Nothing. Is it a tradeoff? Let's ask Paris Hilton what she thinks.
Sin-o-meter: 5/10
"Pleasure without conscience"
Agree 100%. Sure it would be nice to feel completely good about yourself and your actions, but what if they harmed other people? This is a very Machiavellian statement, and shows brutality at its finest. Violates hinduisms 'cardinal' laws of peace.
Sin-o-meter: 10/10
"Knowledge without character"
This one I think deserves a lot of thought. You can know a lot, but if you don't have first hand experience what does it matter? I'm leaning that I disagree with this, as a scientist. My life is going to be dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge in the field that I choose, so what character do I need for that? I could potentially benefit society in a multitude of ways but not have any sort of personable disposition.
Sin-o-meter: 3.5/10
"Commerce without morality"
Another one I agree with. Capitalism and Expansionism are perfect examples of this. Why care about anyone except yourself? Unless they have something of value of course. Then you squeeze it out of them for profit. That is exactly how to do business. Some field, eh? Jerks. . .
Sin-o-meter: 8/10
"Science without humanity"
Well, I see the merit of not wanting to use humans and guinea pigs, and as a scientist, I should be obligated to agree, but I don't. There are so many rules and regulations that can just bog you down. Though it's not strictly science, medicine is a field completely slowed by many useless laws. Take HIPAA for example; its a set of laws talking about patient privacy. What does it matter? They're diseased, and it's the doctors jobs to heal them. Are identities really that important? After all, it's not like they dont have access to the medical records. The other point is that when you kill rats humanely, they're a lot easier to deal with ;)
Sin-o-meter: 1/10
"Worship without sacrifice"
Why should you lose anything for your beliefs? That's dumb. This is not a crime.
Sin-o-meter: 2/10
"Politics without principles"
Trying to move forward without a goal or morals in mind. . . Sounds like a disaster. . . OH WAIT GEORGE W BUSH DID THAT
Sin-o-meter: 9/10
"Rights without Responsibility"
Not so much a sin as it is the opposite of communism. If communism = perfect, then 1/communism = worst. So I guess it's a sin against society.
Sin-o-meter: 9/10
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