Srinagar, Jan. 9 -- As we step into 2026, public debate in India should begin with a little New Year discipline. We should welcome scrutiny, even sharp criticism, but we should also insist that argument carries responsibility. A republic of over 1.4 billion people cannot be reformed by cynicism. Jobs, productivity, exports, and inclusion are not easy at the best of times, and progress comes through the unglamorous grind of design, implementation, correction, and scale. A New Year is also a moment to separate skepticism from pessimism.

In Beyond Good and Evil (*211), Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, in substance: "The philosopher must be a creator of values, not a mere critic or spectator. He must philosophise from the standpoint of life, not a...