Though
it is now that the part played by knowledge in human society’s progress is
emphasized loudly, it has always been this promethean spark, mythically
understood at one time, that forged the structure of human society and through
the ages continued to strengthen this structure. Forces of production might
have determined economic life but without knowledge in some form or other even
the forces of production would not have been organized the way they were done
through the historical time. Somewhere at the time of renaissance, the rational
mind of the western thinkers centered their gaze on the human and his
environment but as Science made rapid strides the human’s insatiate eyes looked
up from the earth to the space beyond to seek a meaningful role for mankind in
the universe. In India, however, the ancient sages of Bedanta made searching
enquiries philosophically about the
status of mankind in the universe but during the time of Purana, Indian knowledge
got entangled in hazy mythology that hindered scientific enquiry into
fundamental truths searched by philosophy.
Even in the West, where scientific enquiry became the norm from the time
of renaissance, science and humanities followed different routes from the time
of Enlightenment to seek knowledge and their pursuit remained disengaged for
long. A German philosopher, Jurgen Habermas, once pointed out in a different
context that as man entered the phase of modernity, his discourse of knowledge
got channelled into different domains and our intellectual quests moved into
different categories in service of empirical-theoretical discourse, moral
discourse and aesthetics. But he argued that the human’s reasoned quest has to
seek out the connecting link separating these domains to unify all knowledge
for the completion of the Modernity’s project. He felt that this convergence
can happen through a consensus. He made a strong point there. I think this can
happen only when we can realize that all forms of knowledge play a functionally
useful role in mankind’s progress with the teleological goal of peace and
happiness for every human being. In this quest, Justice has to be a core
parameter. But unfortunately, the
mismatch between actions for human development and indifference to
environmental compulsions has reached a dangerous level threatening even human
existence. Developmental goals have become blind to the norms of justice too.
Urbanization, industrialization, road buildings are supposed to benefit people
but it is happening at the enormous cost of human justice, because such actions
are often increasing rich-poor gap and have often uprooted people from their
familiar environment. Industrialization with the reckless use of toxic
chemicals has been causing climate changes disturbing the earth’s environmental
balance. The use of our knowledge has become inhuman.
The
role of education, particularly in higher academic institutions, is of utmost
importance in holistic attainment of practical knowledge. All branches of
knowledge ultimately contribute to the enrichment of wisdom, the common
intellectual treasure of the mankind, and if one area gets special focus at the
cost of the other areas, wisdom’s container becomes unbalanced. Perhaps this
philosophical reasoning needs to remain in the fore part of our consciousness,
particularly in a University, which plays its role in the society by producing
and disseminating knowledge. While science engages theoretically in unraveling
nature, it still plays a practical role in the society through technology. Human
Science’s theoretical quest may be to understand and interpret the nature of
morality, justice, beauty, political and economic structure etc., but all these
at the end of the day come in service of the social order and human happiness.
This functional purposefulness needs to be a guiding principle for all
knowledge-seeking institutions. If we pursue knowledge in these terms,
inter-disciplinary understanding will follow and from an initial
compartmentalization of branches, we will move towards building a consensus
regarding the sum-total of the community’s wisdom. Again, every community is
embedded in a larger structure called society and the society itself becomes a
larger community if differences get obliterated as a result of consensual and
purposeful communicative discourses.
Dr
Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan in his Convocation address to Gauhati University in
1951 made some significant remarks, which are relevant even today. He said, “University
can help us to create new man for the world. Extreme specialization is a grave
danger. We must train not only specialists in different fields but men with a
human outlook, a social sense.”
He
further said, “If our people are to fill positions of responsibility, they must
be trained in literature, philosophy and history.
The
university should be the inspiring home of all the science as well as
preparation ground for civic life. Its departments should be not only
co-existent but co-operative.
If
a university is to flourish and thrive, it is only by the force of living
example which must fire the students with the noble ambition of exulting the
learning of the learned and following the footsteps of the explorers of new
fields of research. The greatest educative force is the force of personality,
the power of sympathy, the sway of the living world, the contagion of living
example.”
The
word ‘excellent’ is often heard in the context of academic learning today. But
what is the benchmark for excellence and who sets the standard for making a
comparison between excellence and mediocrity? For want of these, the word
excellence has only rhetorical value. What Dr Radhakrishnan said way back in
1951 may be a testing parameter for excellence. Against this parameter, the
standard has to be set in a manner that the totality of knowledge produced is
qualitatively useful for the new-age society. This will manifest in the
scholar-product of the university and through their significant contributions
to the life-world in their different fields of activity including academics.
Today there is a great emphasis on attainment of competence in vocational
learning and career-
oriented courses. There is no harm in it as long as it does not dip the scale to a lower standard in the totality of knowledge-production. Research has a special role in this. But one question comes to mind. Research is hinged today to academic career-planning rather than aiming at knowledge-production. We must guard against over-production of cheap knowledge and bring the research mode back to a wisdom-enriching criterion.
oriented courses. There is no harm in it as long as it does not dip the scale to a lower standard in the totality of knowledge-production. Research has a special role in this. But one question comes to mind. Research is hinged today to academic career-planning rather than aiming at knowledge-production. We must guard against over-production of cheap knowledge and bring the research mode back to a wisdom-enriching criterion.
Editorial note prepared by:Harekrishna Deka
Author, former member of Indian Police Service
DIMORIANREVIEW, VOL-5, ISSUE-3, MAY-JUNE 2018 RELEASED
Editors
DIMORIANREVIEW, VOL-5, ISSUE-3, MAY-JUNE 2018 RELEASED
We express our thankfulness to all
contributors in this issue for their unconditional support and cooperation in
making our effort successful this time also.
We acknowledge with thanks to the honorary advisory board,
honorary technical review board and all members of editorial team for their
guidance, support and cooperation.
We sincerely acknowledge and express gratitude to respected Shri
Harekrishna Deka sir for sharing his thought from Editors’ Desk in this issue. He is
the most prominent poet-critics of his generation. He was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award for his poetic
contribution in ‘Ann Ejan’ in 1987 and
the ‘Katha Award’ for his
short story, Bandiyar (Prisoner) in 1995. After retirement as
the Director General of Police, Assam, Shri Deka sir was associated as Editor
of the English daily, The Sentinel for a brief period before
serving as Editor of the Assamese literary monthly, Gariyasi. He
won the Assam Valley Literary Award in
2010 which was instituted by the Williamson Magor Trust to honour the writers of Assam once a year. His translated Assamese poetry is being taught in English Major Courses
in Bangalore University, India. We are fortunate that Shri Deka sir has spared valuable time for us and so,
thankful to him for enlightening us with his thought. We wish him good things
and good health in life.
Editors
DIMORIANREVIEW
Vol-5, Issue-3; May-June 2018
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