Nehru's "scientific temper" has little to do with science

If you see someone in India using the term "scientific temper," assume that you have spotted a person completely ignorant of how science works. Safely assume that the person has contributed nothing or almost nothing to science.

“Ever since independence, developing scientific temper was a priority for our country, but that has been changing in recent years and it reflects on such comments being made by an office-bearer of a top engineering institute,” added Anupam, who is also an engineer. (link)

What these people actually say is that nothing is science without approval from the West. They are the toxic by-product of colonialism that still keeps this nation sick. If they have the guts to try to arm-twist an IIT director, imagine what they can do to an individual who is not recognized.

The term "scientific temper" was popularized by Nehru, who tried to be more British than the British and had close to zero knowledge in science. It is the Indian version of the "positivism" movement in Europe started by Auguste Comte. Positivism is nothing but a product of a Eurocentric viewpoint that no other civilization other than Europe contributed to science.

There is no such thing as scientific temper. There is no such thing as "the" scientific method. Positivism is almost a dead ideology. Of course, you will find a lot of people in India who are more than ready to buy even the waste products from the West.

If you are interested in the subject, I suggest to start with "Kuhn vs Popper :The Struggle for the Soul of Science - Revolutions in Science" by Steve Fuller.