Philosophy: The forgotten discipline
Even in Pakistan’s top universities, very few students pursue philosophy as a major.
Philosophy is unfortunately an incredibly underrated discipline in Pakistan. Even in top universities, only the very brave pursue philosophy as a major. It is often an ignored academic field because people feel that it won’t facilitate them in getting a stable income or a white-collar job. Educational institutes must highlight the benefits of studying philosophy.
Most people don’t even know what philosophy actually is. In fact the prevailing discourse which is dominated by ideas of secularism and modernism has distorted its definition. Contrary to popular belief, philosophy is not Greek logic or sceptical critical thinking. Its literal meaning is “love for wisdom” and it helps one attain true intellect, discern truth from falsehood, and look beyond the superficial and the zahir (outer/literal). It is that light of true knowledge which compels one to act upon what one knows. Defined like this, knowledge which does not increase intellect and implementation is merely information. Thus, acquiring a university degree does not automatically enhance knowledge or make one wise.
Generally, philosophers can think more creatively, understand themselves and external things better and are ‘smarter’ than other students. Evidence substantiates these claims; for example, Educational Testing Service reports that philosophy majors score the highest in the GRE and LSAT exams. Philosophers are not just trained in a specialised field, but form a holistic view of the world and how its various pieces are — and should be — coalesce. Their sole motive is not profit or pleasure seeking; rather, they recognise that money and indulgent desires are just the means and not the end. Thus they are fully cognizant of how their actions will impact will impact society and the environment.
These qualities can actually benefit corporations vastly. LRN is a great example of a prestigious consultancy which does recognize the value of philosophers. Its CEO Dov Seidman officially prefers to hire philosophy majors due to their highwe intellectual and ethical standards. And one need look no further than the famous Adam Smith, whose theories underlie modern economics, too see the impact of philosophy. He was not an economist but a philosopher and co-started the Scottish Enlightenment, founded the capitalist doctrine and taught moral philosophy at Glasgow University.
State leaders should especially be well-versed in philosophy. This applies especially to Pakistan, which has widespread corruption, poverty and sensitive ethnic and religious issues. Most government officials are barely qualified or hold questionable degrees in specialized fields. How will they analyse the link between different departments and their effects on politics and the economy? Even the word ‘economy’ symbolises money for most of them — few influential government official will actually think of the environment, business ethics or social problems associated with it. Only political philosophers with wisdom, high moral fibre and comprehension of a wide range of relevant topics can govern and improve the nation as a whole.
Studying philosophy counters maladies in society. Much of Pakistan’s youth, unaware of true philosophy and coupled with a sense of cultural inferiority, confuse Western political power and wealth for success. They subsequently go about adopting Western ideas uncritically. The absolute reverence and importance given to secular education and scientific evidence which stems from inferiority complexes would dissolve in favour of questioning the rationality of rationality, the proof of scientific proofs, and what renowned professor Wilfred Smith as “the current secularist dogma”. Thus a serious study of philosophy would produce genuine intellectuals who are self-aware and mature.
On the bases of the above, it would be prudent for public and private institutes to fully inculcate philosophy into their curricula. An acute study of philosophy will hinder blind following of any belief system and culture, thereby curbing extremism of any type. This may hopefully create a new breed of adept Pakistanis, able to tackle modern challenges and rescue the country from the abyss.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2012.