Piper, R. F.

Letter, March 29, 1933137

[Mr. Piper, a professor of Philosophy at Syracuse University, was on a visit to India and was unable to see Gandhiji as he was in prison. He sent the following questions:

  1. Are not machines necessary for the material development of India?

  2. What can religion contribute to human progress?

  3. What chiefly is faulty in Christianity? What strong?

  4. By what methods do you come by your basic discoveries or insights?

  5. How make man good?138]

My dear friend,
I was sorry not to be able to meet you. Here are the answers to your questions:

  1. By machinery I have no doubt you mean power machinery. Considered in terms of millions of the population of India, power machinery is not indispensable for their material prosperity.

  2. Mankind has found religion in some shape or other indispensable for its very existence, hence it is fair to presume that mankind will need religion and I cannot conceive the moral growth of mankind without religion.

  3. It would be presumption on my part to pronounce any judgement on Christianity, or for that matter any religion other than my own.

  4. By incessant and prayerful striving.

  5. I know of no method whereby man can be made good, but in so far as any making is possible it can only be done by setting a personal example.

Yours sincerely,

R. F. Piper, Esq.
Professor of Philosophy
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York

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