One of the phone calls that greeted me this New Year’s Day drove me to some serious contemplation. The friend quoted the example of Galileo who retracted his scientific theory before the religious Inquisitors and later explained his action: “Science doesn’t need martyrs.” My meditation led me to the notion of freedom provided by the 17 th century philosopher, Spinoza. He argued that we were not totally free. We are controlled by certain inescapable laws of nature as well as our genetic makeup. Evil is also an essential part of nature. “The evil which ensues from evil deeds is not therefore less to be feared because it comes of necessity;” said Spinoza, “whether our actions are free or not, our motives still are hope and fear.” Hope for a better future; fear about the present situation. The martyr is not afraid for himself; his fear is about the future of the society. Martyrdom need not be a virtue. To be really great is not to be placed above humanity, ruling
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