Why do Indians love arguments?

If you ever need an economist's endorsement of the view that Indians are vocal with their arguments, bank on Amartya Sen. According to Sen, being argumentative is an asset rather than a liability acquired as a legacy from India's historical, cultural, racial and religious ‘heterodoxy'. "India is so full of contradictions that any generalisation about India has an opposite argument which is just as true," explains Sen. So, in his just published book, Sen -- who "enjoys putting forth arguments rather than giving advice to people" brings up the brighter side of being argumentative. Here are a few Sen specials...

* "Arguments aren't a hurdle to progress. They lead to more aspects of an issue, which need to be addressed before resolving the issue for good. People argue because they are curious and want to know the truth, which is in the interest of one and all. This may take time but the outcome is always a better one than a hastily taken decision that may backfire."

* "India may be economically behind China, but democratic India, by virtue of being argumentative, enjoys freedom and rights that can only be dreamt of in authoritarian China. Indians have a much better healthcare record, in part because public opinion forces the government to provide it. But that kind of public influence doesn't exist in China -- blame China's repressive measures. Consider the SARS episode in China, and the subsequent efforts by the authorities to hush it. Whether democracy leads Indians to develop a mindset of arguing or vice versa is open to more arguments."

* "Indians, being argumentative, have the ability to look at things with cold reasoning. When Alexander came to India in 325 BC, he was amazed as well as disappointed by the Indians' disregard for him: the world's greatest conqueror. When he asked Indian philosophers the reason for their I-couldn't-care-less attitude, he was told: "You are a nuisance to the world."

* Contrary to widespread belief, all Indians are not spiritual. There are more rationalists in India then imagined. Even the Vedas contain passages that allude to agnosticism. The Bhagwat Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata are actually treatises on arguments of epic proportions.

* "Indians like Aryabhata and Kautilya were pioneers in the systematic study of knowledge. Thanks to the Indian tradition of argumentation."

PS: For those who don't agree with Amartya Sen, feel free to argue with him!