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{{short description|Indian-American scholar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox scientist
|name = Varadaraja V. Raman
|image =VVRaman.jpg
|image_size = 100px
|caption =
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1932|05|28}}
|birth_place = Calcutta, India
|death_date =
|death_place =
|citizenship = Indian, USA
|nationality =
|workplaces = [[Rochester Institute of Technology]]
|alma_mater = [[University of Calcutta]], Theoretical Physics<br>
[[University of Paris]], PhD, Theoretical Physics, 1958<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nyas.org/events/2011/a-self-fulfilling-prophecy/?tab=speakers|title=A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy|date=April 28, 2011|publisher=The New York Academy of Sciences}}</ref><ref name="Kenkre">{{cite web|url=http://www.samvadindia.net/si-web/si-award2006.htm|title=Raja Rao Annual Award 2006|first=Nitant|last=Kenkre|publisher=Samvad India Foundation|year=2006|access-date=7 September 2019}}</ref>
|known_for = Religion/Science dialogues, champion of science and enlightened values, bridge-building efforts between cultures, and a sense of humor
|awards =Metanexus Fellow, Raja Rao Award, Acharya Vidyasagar, IRAS Academic Fellow Award, Nazareth College Interfaith Partnership Award, RITirees Award
|signature = 
|footnotes =
}}

'''Varadaraja Venkata Raman''' (better known as '''V.V. Raman'''; born 28 May 1932 in [[Calcutta, India]]<ref name="Marting">Janet Marting, ''Commitment, Voice, and Clarity: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader'' (1996), p. 162.</ref>) is Emeritus Professor of Physics and Humanities at the [[Rochester Institute of Technology]].<ref name="Tippett 123">Krista Tippett, ''Einstein's God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit'', Penguin Books, 2010, p. 123.</ref>

He has lectured and written on his Indian heritage and culture and has also authored books and articles on the intersection of science and religion. Raman has been a frequent guest on the [[PBS]] television series ''[[Closer to Truth]]''.

Scholarly reception of his work has been mixed, with some criticizing his apologias for the metaphysical claims of [[Hinduism]], and others commending his contributions to the conversation on these issues.

==Career==
[[File:Varadaraja V. Raman Congressional record snippet.png|thumb|Text from the United States Congressional Record quoting Varadaraja V. Raman.]]
Raman was born to a Brahmin [[Tamil people|Tamil family]] residing in Bengal. He did his undergraduate work in physics, with a first postgraduate degree in mathematics. He did his doctoral studies in [[theoretical physics]] at the [[Sorbonne]] in Paris, in [[French language|French]] under Nobel laureate [[Louis de Broglie]].<ref name="Kenkre"/><ref name="Tippett 123"/> The focus was the mathematical underpinning of quantum mechanics.<ref name="Kenkre"/> He served the [[UNESCO]] for several years, "living in many nations as an educational expert for the United Nations."<ref name="D&C 22-12-1985">Kevin Hicks, "Rochester's immigrant families find welcome here", ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 22 Dec. 1985, Page B1.</ref> Eventually, Raman emigrated from Calcutta in 1966,<ref>James Goodman, "Asian Indians here face a delicate balancing act", ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 15 Nov. 1987, page B1.</ref> and joined the [[Rochester Institute of Technology]] in [[Rochester, New York]] as a professor of Physics and Humanities.<ref name="Kenkre"/> He would then spend many years as chairman of the RIT Physics Department.

By 1983, Raman had become an occasional guest columnist for the Rochester ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]''.<ref>V.V. Raman, "[https://democratandchronicle.newspapers.com/clip/35663875/vv_raman_astrology_persists_despite/ Astrology persists despite bad track record]," ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 11 Dec. 1983, Page 29A.</ref><ref>V.V. Raman, "India and U.S.: So different -- yet so much alike," ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 28 May 1985, Page 7A.</ref><ref>V.V. Raman, "Let us now celebrate a landmark of the mind," ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 14 July 1993, Page 9A.</ref><ref name="Bridging">V.V. Raman, "Bridging the abyss between science, religion," ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 21 July 1985, Page 11A.</ref> In 1991, Raman served on a panel to "investigate possible CIA influences on academic programs",<ref>Carol Ritter, "Rose says he won't resign," ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 7 June 1991, page 1, 12.</ref> and determine whether RIT should cut ties with the American [[Central Intelligence Agency]].<ref>Vincent Taylor, "New panel to review CIA ties," ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 25 June 1991, page B1.</ref> He was elected the 2004-2005 [[Metanexus Institute]] Fellow on Science and Religion, in which capacity he delivered six lectures at the Hillel Hall of the [[University of Pennsylvania]] on Indic Visions in an Age of Science.<ref>"Community Notes", ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], 16 Oct. 2004, Page A9.</ref> In 2006, Raman received the [[Raja Rao Award for Literature]], given for "outstanding contributions to the literature and culture of the South Asian Diaspora".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rit.edu/news/rit-lecture-addresses-science-and-religion-todays-world-april-17|title=RIT Lecture Addresses Science and Religion in Today's World|first=Susan|last=Gawlowicz|publisher=[[Rochester Institute of Technology]]|date=April 10, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Kenkre"/>

===Reference works===
Raman contributed articles or other work to several reference works such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, including Scribner's ''Dictionary of Scientific Biography'' (1981),<ref name="auto">''Dictionary of Scientific Biography'', [[Charles Scribner's Sons]], 1981, Vol. XVI, p. 461.</ref> and the [[SAGE Publications|Sage]] ''Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development'', 1st Edition (2005).<ref name="auto1">''Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development'', [[SAGE Publications]], 2005, p. xix.</ref> In the mid 2000s Raman served as both a contributing author and one of four executive editors of the eighteen-volume ''[[Encyclopedia of Hinduism]].''<ref>K. L. Sheshagiri Rao and Kapil Kapoor, ''[[Encyclopedia of Hinduism]]'', Vol 1, Indian Heritage Research Foundation, and [[Rupa & Co.]], 2010, p. cii.</ref><ref name="Tippett 123"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/spirituality/brittany-maynards-death-does-suffering-have-spiritual-meaning|title=Brittany Maynard's death: Does suffering have spiritual meaning?|date=November 3, 2014|author=Cathy Lynn Grossman|publisher=[[National Catholic Reporter]]}}</ref>

===Closer to Truth===
Since 2008, Raman has been a frequent guest on the [[PBS]] television series ''[[Closer to Truth]]'', first appearing as a guest in the series 3 inaugural episode "Does God Make Sense?"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.closertotruth.com/series/does-god-make-sense|title=Does God Make Sense?|publisher=[[Closer to Truth]]|date=2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@CloserToTruth/striving-to-get-closer-to-truth-953d7b869e0f|title=Striving to Get Closer To Truth|first=Robert Lawrence|last=Kuhn|authorlink=Robert Lawrence Kuhn|publisher=[[Medium.com]]|date=April 20, 2015}}</ref> He has since made thirty-two additional appearances in the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.closertotruth.com/contributor/varadaraja-raman/profile|title=Varadaraja V. Raman, Prof. of Physics, Rochester Inst. of Technology|publisher=[[Closer to Truth]]|access-date=September 11, 2019}}</ref>

===Institute on Religion in an Age of Science===
From 2011 to 2013, Raman was President of the [[Institute on Religion in an Age of Science]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iras.org/pastpresidents.html|title=Past IRAS Presidents|publisher=[[Institute on Religion in an Age of Science]]|access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>Patrick McNamara, Wesley J. Wildman, ''Science and the World's Religions'', 2012, p. 274.</ref> As one of the few adherents to a non-Abrahamic religion to hold that position, he contributed to "a significant impact in enlarging the horizon of IRAS toward more inclusiveness".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://karlpeters.net/?p=237|title=The Changing Cultural Context of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science: co-publisher of Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science|last=Peters|first=Karl E.|authorlink=Karl E. Peters|date=July 11, 2014|access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref> During this period of the service (2012), Raman was a lecturer at the [[Chautauqua Institution]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://online.chq.org/ci/speakers/view/3322|title=V.V. Raman|publisher=[[Chautauqua Institution]]|access-date=September 11, 2019}}</ref>

===Other activities===
An admirer of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], Raman spoke publicly in favor of the adoption of Gandhi's methods in the United States.<ref>"Try Gandhi's ideas, crowd told", ''[[The Morning Call]]'', [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]], 10 Oct 1990, Page B7.</ref><ref>Diana L. Tomb, "Gandhi's system still works, scholar says", ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', [[Rochester, New York]], 30 January 1989, p. 1B.</ref> Raman received attention for his role in the public mourning of the Indian community following the assassinations of [[Indira Gandhi]] in 1984,<ref>John O'Brien, "Local Indians mourn Gandhi's death", ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 5 Nov. 1984, Page B1.</ref> and [[Rajiv Gandhi]] in 1991.<ref>Gannett News Service, "Gandhi considered a modernizing force for government", ''[[Hattiesburg American]]'', [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi]], 22 May 1991, page 7.</ref><ref>James Goodman, "Terrorist bomb kills India's Rajiv Gandhi: Residents here feel shock, deep worry", ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 22 May 1991, Page 1, 12.</ref> Following the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, Raman chaired an interfaith community effort to foster "peace, harmony and understanding among countries, races, and religions";<ref>Matt Leingang, "Many faiths seek unity amid conflict", ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', Rochester, New York, 5 Nov. 2001, Page 6A.</ref> he had once expressed that "not on one occasion of interacting with Americans was I made to feel as a foreigner."<ref name="D&C 22-12-1985" />

== Reception ==
Though Raman has written in defense of religions accepting the truth of [[evolution by natural selection]],<ref name="Bridging"/> philosopher C. Mackenzie Brown has criticized Raman's approach, noting that Raman has written that certain scientific truths "can also be apprehended through the mystical mode via meditation, prayer, or yogic exercises", and grouping Raman with [[Subhash Kak]] and Gopala Rao as "scientists [who] employ their expertise to confirm teachings of the sadhus and, not infrequently, to deplore the naturalistic theory of Darwinian evolution."<ref name="CMB">C. Mackenzie Brown, ''Hindu Perspectives on Evolution: Darwin, Dharma, and Design'', Routledge, 2012, p. 193, 229.</ref> Brown concludes that for Raman, "the urge to lyricize and scientize tradition is clearly irresistible".<ref name="CMB"/> Robert M. Geraci, chair of religious studies at Manhattan University, describes Raman as "well-known in American conversations about religion and science",<ref name="Geraci 82">Robert M. Geraci, ''Temples of Modernity: Nationalism, Hinduism, and Transhumanism in South Indian Science'', (Lexington Books, 2018), [https://books.google.com/books?id=yKVoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 p. 82].</ref> and "the leading voice in this problematic approach to Hinduism and science--who should nevertheless be commended for his work in bringing such conversations to the fore of academic inquiry", and states that Raman "represents the community seeking harmony between Hinduism and science."<ref>Robert M. Geraci, ''Temples of Modernity: Nationalism, Hinduism, and Transhumanism in South Indian Science'', (Lexington Books, 2018), [https://books.google.com/books?id=yKVoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA192 p. 192].</ref> Elsewhere, Geraci observes that Raman "maintains a tenuous balance between credulity and skepticism."<ref name="Geraci 82"/>

Yiftach Fehige, prefacing an anthology featuring Raman's writing, similarly critiques Raman's approach to Western religions, describing Raman as positioning himself "in opposition to fundamental principles and insights that characterize the field of science and religion" as outlined previously in the book.<ref>Yiftach Fehige, ''Science and Religion: East and West'', Routledge, 2016, p. 19.</ref> Fehige notes as well that Raman discounts the ability of [[Christianity]] to have been a force behind the development of modern science.<ref>Yiftach Fehige, ''Science and Religion: East and West'', Routledge, 2016, p. 21.</ref> ''[[Numen (journal)|Numen]]''{{'}}s review of the piece finds that Raman "embraces generalizations, willfully brackets (i.e., ignores) local contingencies, and defines both science and religion as essential human phenomena," and "distinguishes "ancient" from "modern" science in normative epistemological terms, showing little interest in historical categorizations or even chronology," but that "despite its many flaws, one commendable outcome of Raman's argument is its disentanglement of "science" and scientific conduct from the clutches of theological biases that see it as intrinsically linked to European Christendom."<ref name="Asprem"/>

Another text noted that Raman responded to [[Wendy Doniger]]'s criticism of the [[Bhagavad Gita]] as a text promoting war by imploring "bookish academics" to show sensitivity to the sacredness accorded the text.<ref>Pratap Kumar, "A Survey of New Approaches to the Study of Religion in India," in ''New Approaches to the Study of Religion'', Peter Antes, Armin W. Geertz, and Randi R. Warne, editors, 2004, p. 132.</ref> [[Krista Tippett]] says "V.V. Raman describes... how Hinduism's overarching regard for beauty and the arts has helped to avoid a point-counterpoint between the different forms of knowledge that science and religion convey."<ref>Krista Tippett, ''Einstein's God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit'', Penguin Books, 2010, p. 5.</ref>

==Publications==
Robert M. Geraci identified Raman as "the most prolific author on Hinduism and science".<ref name="Geraci 180-81">Robert M. Geraci, ''Temples of Modernity: Nationalism, Hinduism, and Transhumanism in South Indian Science'', (Lexington Books, 2018), [https://books.google.com/books?id=yKVoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA180 p. 180-81].</ref> Raman has published a large number of books and articles, some through traditional publishing companies and others through self-publication venues.

=== Books ===

*''Truth and Tension in Science and Religion'' (Beech River Books, 2009)<ref>{{citation|last=Carr|first=Paul H.|date=May 2010|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9744.2010.01106.x|issue=2|journal=Zygon|pages=527–528|title=Review of ''Truth and Tension in Science and Religion''|volume=45|s2cid=143375806|url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/2980b987708d84c535145714b9dd560f9d367036}}</ref>
*''Indic Visions in an Age of Science'' (Metanexus, 2011)<ref>{{citation|last=Duquette|first=Jonathan|date=May 2012|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9744.2012.01266.x|issue=2|journal=Zygon|pages=468–472|title=Review of ''Indic Visions in an Age of Science''|volume=47}}</ref>

=== Other ===

*{{Cite journal|last1=Raman|first1=V. V.|last2=Forman|first2=Paul|authorlink2=Paul Forman|date=1969|title=Why Was It Schrödinger Who Developed de Broglie's Ideas?|journal=Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences|volume=1|pages=291–314|doi=10.2307/27757299|issn=0073-2672|jstor=27757299}}.
* "Albert Einstein: The Human Side", with [[Helen Dukas]], ''American Journal of Physics'', Volume 47, Issue 12, p. 1107 (1979).
* One of the numerous contributing authors to Scribner's ''Dictionary of Scientific Biography'' (1981).<ref name="auto"/>
* "Technology Has Improved Society", for ''Technology and Society: Opposing Viewpoints'' by Auriana Ojeda, [[Opposing Viewpoints series]], Greenhaven Press (2002), p. 23.
* One of the 108 contributing authors to the [[SAGE Publications|Sage]] ''Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development'', 1st Edition (2005).<ref name="auto1"/>
* Contributing author and one of four executive editors of the ''[[Encyclopedia of Hinduism]]'' produced by the Indian Heritage Research Foundation and published by [[Rupa & Co.]] (2010).<ref>K. L. Sheshagiri Rao and Kapil Kapoor, ''[[Encyclopedia of Hinduism]]'', Vol 1, Indian Heritage Research Foundation, and [[Rupa & Co.]], 2010, p. xv.</ref>
* "Science International (Beyond the West): The Ups and Downs of Trans-Cultural Science", in ''Science and Religion: East and West'', edited by Yiftach Fehige, Routledge (2015).<ref name="Asprem">Egil Asprem, [https://brill.com/view/journals/nu/66/2-3/article-p317_10.xml Book Review, "Science and Religion: East and West,"] ''[[Numen (journal)|Numen]]'', Vol. 66, Iss. 2-3, page 38.</ref>
* "Thoughts on Deism and Pandeism," in ''Pandeism: An Anthology of the Creative Mind'' (John Hunt Publishing, 2019) {{ISBN|1789041031}}.

==Personal life==
The Tamil language is Raman's mother tongue.<ref>Krista Tippett, ''Einstein's God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit'', Penguin Books, 2010, p. 122.</ref> One source notes that Raman has a "long-running interest in questions of science and religion",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2014/07/13/329759036/science-vs-religion-beyond-the-western-traditions|title=Science Vs. Religion: Beyond The Western Traditions|author=Adam Frank|website=NPR.org|date=July 13, 2014|author-link=Adam Frank}}</ref> and another that he "meditates each morning on symbols of numbers, music, and science, describing this as an aesthetic experience."<ref>Jenell Paris, ''The Good News about Conflict: Transforming Religious Struggle over Sexuality'', Cascade Books, 2016, p. 14, quoting Varadaraja V. Raman, "The Heart's Reason," in ''Einstein's God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit'', edited by Krista Tippett, Penguin Books, 2010, p. 121-42.</ref> In [[Ira Flatow]]'s book, ''Present at the Future'', Raman describes considering himself to be "as much a physicist as one devoted to the other dimension of human life, mainly the spiritual".<ref>Quoted by [[Ira Flatow]] in ''Present at the Future: From Evolution to Nanotechnology, Candid and Controversial Conversations on Science and Nature'', Harper, 2007, p. 213.</ref> Raman has two children, a son named Dave a daughter named Indira.<ref>"If I Could Be The Perfect Father: Initiate child to world's wonders", ''[[Democrat and Chronicle]]'', [[Rochester, New York]], 20 June 1993, p. 11A.</ref> The latter is a neurobiologist,<ref>Sophia Lee, "The animal in humanity at Chicago Humanities Fest", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], 15 August 2013, Section 4, p. 2</ref> and director of the [[Northwestern University]] Interdepartmental Neurosciences (NUIN) PhD Program.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.neurobiology.northwestern.edu/people/core-faculty/indira-m-raman.html|title=Indira M. Raman, Bill and Gayle Cook Professor|publisher=[[Northwestern University]]|access-date=December 17, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://religiousnaturalist.org Religious Naturalist]
*[http://people.rit.edu/vvrsps/Comment/allcomments.htm Raman Commentaries - Various Views On Religion and Science]
*[http://people.rit.edu/vvrsps/Essays/essays.htm Essays of V V Raman]
*[https://www.rit.edu/news/rit-lecture-addresses-science-and-religion-todays-world-april-17 RIT Lecture Addresses Science and Religion in Today's World April 17]
*[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2012.01274.x/abstract HINDUISM AND SCIENCE: SOME REFLECTIONS]
*[http://psychatlarge.com/reflections-of-varadaraja-v-v-raman-on-becoming-80/ Reflections of Varadaraja (V. V.) Raman, On Becoming 80]
*[http://religiousnaturalism.wordpress.com/v-v-raman-my-ten-principles-of-religious-naturalism/ V.V. Raman – My Ten Principles of Religious Naturalism]
*[http://religiousnaturalism.wordpress.com/rn-invocation-v-v-raman/ A Religious Naturalist Invocation]
*[https://www.closertotruth.com/contributor/varadaraja-raman/profile ''Closer to Truth'' series profile of Varadaraja V. Raman]
* {{IMDb name|10977014}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Raja Rao Award Winners}}
{{IRAS}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raman, Varadaraja V.}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:University of Paris alumni]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:21st-century American physicists]]
[[Category:Rochester Institute of Technology faculty]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science]]
[[Category:American male writers of Indian descent]]
[[Category:American religious writers]]
[[Category:Religious naturalists]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]

Varadaraja V. Raman - Revision history

imported>Marcocapelle: removed Category:Contemporary Indian philosophers using HotCat