From the International Reviews of Goonatilake’s books

Goonatilake’s book Towards a Global Science: Mining Civilisational Knowledge

is “scholarly, provocative and proactive …. a forerunner book for the 21st

century…recommend this book to every body, young and old [to] … sociologists,
political analysts, philosophers and thinkers” Y. S. Rajan coauthor with Indian
President Dr. Abdul Kalam of India 2020, A Vision for a New Millennium in
Pioneer

“critically addresses our pretensions to progress… challenge us to examine the

myriad assumptions … manages the difficult task of combining a global focus …
and local diversity. Kuhn would be proud of his legacy" Sharyn Clough in Social
Epistemology

"narrates the history of science from a distinctly non-Western, and largely South
Asian, perspective…Goonatilake does a service to the history of science" Philip F.
Rehbock in Journal of World History

is “a significant contribution to the emerging field of postcolonial reevaluations of

both European and non-European …traditions” Sandra Harding author of The
Science Question in Feminism; Whose Science? Whose Knowledge? ; The
“Racial Economy of Science: Toward a Democratic Future; Is Science
Muticultural? Post Colonialsms, Feminisms, and Epistemologies –

“narrates the history of science from a distinctly non-Western… perspective. …

… does a service to the history of science by describing Indian achievements”
Philip F. Rehbock, in Journal of World History –

”with a no-nonsense approach …reveals serious scholarship and reflection....

Highly recommended” Choice 1999

“successfully steers the difficult course between positivist defenders of science

and their relativist critics. With astounding erudition, he demonstrates the
substantial" Martin Bernal author of Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of
Classical Civilization

is “a profoundly engaging work that confirms Susantha Goonatilake is one of the

most creative and innovative scholars of science.” Jan Nederveen Pieterse author
of : White on Black : Images of Africa and Blacks in Western Popular Culture;
World Orders in the Making : Humanitarian Intervention and Beyond; The
Decolonization of the Imagination: Culture, Knowledge and Power;
Emancipations, Modern and Postmodern

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 “explores the past in Asian traditions … correctly states that South Asian cultures
have such immense resources in both theory and practice that is imperative”
S.C.Malik in The Eastern Anthropologist

"stands out as a significant contribution…. attempts a novel characterization …

raises broader issues concerning the social context of science” Dhruv Raina in
Seminar

Goonatilake’s book Evolution of Information

“has considerable explanatory power …in sociology, economics, and ... history...
has done a good job in introducing this emerging concept of 'evolutionary
informatics'…" Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research

“is a very ambitious piece of work... canvassing contributions from a wide and
heterogeneous literature... an important contribution... comprehensive, clearly
written and well annotated" Futures

"sketches ... common evolutionary characteristics “AI & Society

Goonatilake’s book Merged Evolution

“befits our age of globalization..... opens the possibility of a unifying vision of

the exploding field of knowledge.... very timely and useful... very ambitious... the
breadth of vision... grounded in a vast and solid pluridsciplinary knowledge"
World Futures - the Journal of General Evolution

is an “original formulation … brings a fresh overarching perspective ...insightful

treatment ... attempt at the big picture" Journal of Social and Evolutionary
Systems

is “the book that all future-oriented persons have been waiting for …. Susantha
Goonatilake masterfully combines a profound knowledge of technology and
natural and social sciences, as well as the humanities and philosophy” Jim Dator,
Director, University of Hawaii Center for Futures Studies

“analyzes brilliantly …an intriguing mix of sound science and Buddhist

philosophy, of what the future may hold.” Walter Truett Anderson author of The
Future of the Self; Evolution Isn’t What it Used to be President, World Academy
of Arts and Science

“his prior work …is canonical. Goonatilake has given us – interestingly, from an
international point of view - an informed, thoughtful and critical [book]” Stanley
Salthe City University of New York and Binghamton University, author of
Evolving Hierarchical Systems; Development and Evolution

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 is "a serious attempt at long-range speculation, as well as a rich resource for
debate…a rarity, a worthwhile book about how …technology … may evolve"
New Scientist; 1999

Goonatilake’s book Aborted Discovery

is an "excellent development … a valuable addition for any academic library”

C.L. Maier in Choice 1984

“details the way in which Western imperialism manifested …by intellectually

devaluating and delegitimising South Asia’s own science and technology” Glyn
Ford in New Scientist 1984

“brings a considerable amount of understanding …an important book …

interesting and arresting” John Brown in Technology and Culture

“rewrites the historiography of science in order to expose its Western

ethnocentrism " Thomas Gieryn in Contemporary Sociology

describes "the process of usurping and then marginalizing non-Western science

Les Levidow in Science as Culture

“describes a truly depressing picture of [Third World] scientists performing

mechanical and imitative work …rather than generating their own" John
Hawthorn in Philosophy East & West

“mounts a series of increasingly comprehensive assaults on the empire of science”

Steven Rose in New Statesman

is a “timely and thoughtful book a well informed guide through the centuries …
of the South Asian Gallery of science …” Eknath Easwaran in Bulletin of the
Atomic Scientists

shows that “Science suppressed …As with other forms of oppression, both the
oppressor and the oppressed were damaged” Orlan Cant in New Internationalist

“brings an inter-disciplinary approach and vast knowledge of both European and

Third World science to this thought-provoking book …arguments are persuasive"
Jamal Rasheed in Far Eastern Economic Review

is “a brave effort … we need more Susantha Goonatilakes to consider how we

could carry ‘discoveries’ to full term" Dinesh Mohan in Economic and Political
Weekly

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 "formulates the reasoning and lays down the moves for reviving the spirit of
innovation … to rekindle the flame of scientific creativity in the Third World.”
Elena Hurtado Maria in South

Goonatilake’s book Crippled Minds

is a “fascinating book [that] maps out the contours of the psychological and
cultural consequences of modern colonialism… one of the first systematic
attempts in this part of the world … to study the mind of the colonized.” Ashis
Nandy in The Telegraph

“is ambitious, the canvas large” Satish Saberval in Indian Historical Review

"is a well-documented book and the author’s marshalling of evidence to support

his theses is skilful and persuasive. His survey of …colonial culture is wide-
ranging. … Samuel Mathai in Indian Book Chronicle

“deliberately counters [Eurocentricism] by viewing the world from a South Asian

perspective… A central theme … is to show how knowledge … is related to
particular socio-economic contexts.” Michael Jones in Norwegian Journal of
Geography

“has established his thesis from scientific, sociological and philosophical angles
of vision with complete mastery.” P.M. Jha in Link

“is timely and most welcome” S.N. Machat in National Herald- is “significant …
remarkable in its range and lucidity” Pradyet Lal in Patriot

is “most stimulating and informative… [I am] impressed by the broad sweep of

the author’s mind as well as the clarity and perceptiveness” Ediriweera
Sarathchandra in The Island

Goonatilake’s book Recolonisation: Foreign funded NGOs in Sri Lanka (Sage 2006)

"The state has been replaced by a parallel virtual state" [of the NGOs]…[ NGO] "claims
were essentially meant for the foreign donors"… [ NGOs were] "privatising Sri Lankan
yellow earth as a notion to mimic the middle of national foreign policy"… [ NGOs]
"recommended that security forces of Sri Lanka be managed by the international
community and the state be restructured"…[ NGOs] "provided the separatists an
intellectual base for a Tamil homeland"… "the book is the first study of the political
economy of NGOs" … "the book is recommended for a similar study in India"

S.C. Sharma Freedom First