Gandhi’s childlike temperament enabled self-deception about varna
Evidence
The real reason why the Mahatma is suffering from this confusion is probably to be traced to two sources. The first is the temperament of the Mahatma. He has in almost everything the simplicity of the child, with the child’s capacity for self-deception. Like a child, he can believe in anything he wants to believe in. We must therefore wait till such time as it pleases the Mahatma to abandon his faith in varna, as it has pleased him to abandon his faith in caste. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1262
Categorization
Category: Causal Relationships
Related
- Gandhi’s self-deceptive temperament lets him abandon beliefs on his own schedule (similarity 0.89)
- Gandhi contradicted himself on whether varna is essential to Hinduism (similarity 0.84)
- Gandhi supported caste out of political self-interest (similarity 0.83)
- Gandhi defends caste because opposing it would cost him political standing (similarity 0.80)
- Gandhi’s varna doctrine collapses into caste despite his claims (similarity 0.80)
- Hindus treated Gandhi as an infallible oracle whose word ended debate (similarity 0.79)
- Gandhi never renounced his belief in the four-varna system (similarity 0.79)
- Gandhi’s moral authority cannot be separated from his caste views (similarity 0.79)
- Gandhi consistently defended an idealized varna system all his life. (similarity 0.79)
- Vedic varna originally ignored birth and recognized only worth (similarity 0.79)
- Gandhi’s Mahatma status let him claim authority far beyond his caste standing. (similarity 0.78)
- Early Ambedkar valued Gandhi’s sympathy while later rejecting his approach (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Gandhi’s birth-to-worth varna reform is practically unenforceable and fails women
#expands(0.50) — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 97 - Gandhi consistently insulted Untouchables and denied them political self-organization
#complicates(0.40) — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 424 - Gandhi opposed non-Hindu involvement in caste struggles as an internal Hindu matter
#expands(0.40) — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 318