Again to quote the succinct words of our German philosopher, Immanuel Kant:
“Nothing is required for this enlightenment, however, except freedom; and the freedom in question is the least harmful of all, namely, the freedom to use reason publicly in all matters. But on all sides I hear: “Do not argue!” The officer says, “Do not argue, drill!” The tax man says, “Do not argue, pay!” The pastor says, “Do not argue, believe!” (Only one ruler in the World says, “Argue as much as you want and about what you want, but obey!”) In this we have examples of pervasive restrictions on freedom. But which restriction hinders enlightenment and which does not, but instead actually advances it? I reply: The public use of one’s reason must always be free, and it alone can bring about enlightenment among mankind…”
Undeniably, there is no shadow of doubt that blind obedience is the nemesis of critical thinking, in the same vein that unreasonable or dogmatic faith is the enemy of Enlightenment!
Then, our author proceeded and stated sadly that:
Now, knowledge is unemotionally reduced to condensed and concise textbooks to be memorised. Malaysians who come out of such a system are limited to a narrow idea of success, rights, boundaries and purpose. We become so confined to pursuits of economic wealth and pleasure, thus rarely think beyond the default doctrines or syllabus.
Comment:
I ardently hold the view that “there seems to be a grave confusion with regard to what we what for our students as against the interest of the general system.
“Extrinsically, we are encouraging them to memorise and aspire to get big marks, even perfect scores; yet intrinsically we are also demanding they must possess critical thinking, creativity and persuasive discourse.
“This is a blatant contradiction and self-defeating to the utmost. How could we expect our lads to possess critical thinking when we are not encouraging them to speak their minds?
“How could we expect our pupils to become creative if we consigned them to the borders of the lecture-notes and syllabus of the subjects? And most importantly, how could we expect our students to express and talk in a brilliant persuasive discourse if they lack the personality, the basic foundation and the necessary training (both the written and the oral form)?
“I believe that it is unjust for the system and for the teachers to expect too much for the students, given the confusion and contradiction of the system. It follows that it is also unfair for the student to be expected to deliver when they are not even trained and nurtured in the first place.
“How could one expect the horse to run fast if the trainer of the horse did not fully practise and exercise the maximum speed of the said horse? If we did not allow the horse to run freely in the plains to explore the vastness of the wild, but rather subjected the same to the four corners of enclosure, do we expect the said horse to perform well the day we release it for the race of life?
“Lastly, if we did not give the “finest grasses” and the “best vitamins” to the said beast, do we have the right to expect the said beast to launch and unleash its full prowess and potentials? I do not think so!” (“A discourse on a true educative blueprint”, The Malaysian Insider, Side Views, September, 19, 2012)
This ‘trichotomy of thinking, knowledge and education’ is plaguing not only us, but also much of the developed western world. For America, the battle is saving the new generation from societal doldrums, having tasted economic success. But for Malaysia, going too far down the wrong road may mean perishing even before reaching the peak. The victims, surely, are not us nor the policy makers in their glass panelled Putrajaya offices. It is our children, and Malaysia.
Comment:
Sad but true! As Chris Hedges, the notable American writer had said on this matter:
“We’ve bought into the idea that education is about training and “success”, defined monetarily rather than learning to think critically and to challenge. We should not forget that the true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers. A culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between morality and power, which mistakes management techniques for wisdom, which fails to understand that the measure of a civilization is its compassion, not its speed or ability to consume, condemns itself to death.”
Indeed, “it is common knowledge that the core business or function of schools today is to make students score and pass examinations.
“The “emphasis” is on drilling and coaching, to ensure that students do “well” in exams. It is because of this that I concur with the observations of Robert Kiyosaki, the international author, motivator and financial commentator, when he said categorically that:
““It seems to me that the school system cannot admit they are not preparing children for the real world. That would be admitting to failure, and we all know what failure means in the school system.
““It means the school thinks your child is not smart, but what it really means is that your child isn’t doing what the school tells them to do. What a shame!
““Though, this is now the current trend, let me highlight the dangerous tendency of these misplaced procedures of the school owners’ attitude ...”
“Kiyosaki said that to the school authorities, it did not matter if the students did not learn anything at all, so long as they had complied with the requirements.
“My view is that such a mindset and the indifferent attitude of the school authorities is the ultimate betrayal of the true aim of education.
“A student had once mockingly questioned a teacher: “Should we put down what we think is right, or what we think, you think, is right?”
“I am vehement that this should not be the main objective of a true, libertarian and enlightened education.
“It is incontestable that what many school administrators now implement is not education at all, neither does it cultivate the minds of our children.
“Sadly, the procedure now being subscribed to by the modern educational system is spoon-feeding. This is the worst type of brain-washing that would give rise to intellectual retardation and academic regression.
“The process of relying solely on attaining good grades in exams would undeniably kill all forms of creativity, dynamism, distinctiveness and intellectual and mental diversity.” (More to learning than good grades, The Star, Education Section, Let’s Hear It, May 5, 2013)
Rethinking critical thinking via philosophy education
My first humble proposition is to establish a faculty of philosophy in every tertiary institution. This is not new; leading Universities e.g. Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge and MIT all have a faculty of philosophy. The word philosophy originated from the Greek word philea and sophia which means love and wisdom, hence philosophy is the love of wisdom. In academia, often it is the study of basic fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence.
A faculty of philosophy will begin to help solve the dire need for thinkers and inculcate knowledgeable persons within our society. Philosophy opens our minds, pushes us to reason, question things, which thus prepares the perfect grounds for critical thinking. While some human capital is best placed in the industry to produce tangible economic outcomes, there must be space for those who are best to appreciate great works of past thinkers that built human civilisations, to research, explore and retrieve solutions to some of the most pertinent problems that plague society currently.
Comment:
As I stated in one of my article, “Philosophy important in knitting moral fibre”, The Star, Education Section, Let’s Hear It, August 5, 2012:
“It is sad that Malaysia does not have a university with a Department of Philosophy. Undeniably, “this absence affects the integrity of the educational mission of universities.”
“Nothing is required for this enlightenment, however, except freedom; and the freedom in question is the least harmful of all, namely, the freedom to use reason publicly in all matters. But on all sides I hear: “Do not argue!” The officer says, “Do not argue, drill!” The tax man says, “Do not argue, pay!” The pastor says, “Do not argue, believe!” (Only one ruler in the World says, “Argue as much as you want and about what you want, but obey!”) In this we have examples of pervasive restrictions on freedom. But which restriction hinders enlightenment and which does not, but instead actually advances it? I reply: The public use of one’s reason must always be free, and it alone can bring about enlightenment among mankind…”
Undeniably, there is no shadow of doubt that blind obedience is the nemesis of critical thinking, in the same vein that unreasonable or dogmatic faith is the enemy of Enlightenment!
Then, our author proceeded and stated sadly that:
Now, knowledge is unemotionally reduced to condensed and concise textbooks to be memorised. Malaysians who come out of such a system are limited to a narrow idea of success, rights, boundaries and purpose. We become so confined to pursuits of economic wealth and pleasure, thus rarely think beyond the default doctrines or syllabus.
Comment:
I ardently hold the view that “there seems to be a grave confusion with regard to what we what for our students as against the interest of the general system.
“Extrinsically, we are encouraging them to memorise and aspire to get big marks, even perfect scores; yet intrinsically we are also demanding they must possess critical thinking, creativity and persuasive discourse.
“This is a blatant contradiction and self-defeating to the utmost. How could we expect our lads to possess critical thinking when we are not encouraging them to speak their minds?
“How could we expect our pupils to become creative if we consigned them to the borders of the lecture-notes and syllabus of the subjects? And most importantly, how could we expect our students to express and talk in a brilliant persuasive discourse if they lack the personality, the basic foundation and the necessary training (both the written and the oral form)?
“I believe that it is unjust for the system and for the teachers to expect too much for the students, given the confusion and contradiction of the system. It follows that it is also unfair for the student to be expected to deliver when they are not even trained and nurtured in the first place.
“How could one expect the horse to run fast if the trainer of the horse did not fully practise and exercise the maximum speed of the said horse? If we did not allow the horse to run freely in the plains to explore the vastness of the wild, but rather subjected the same to the four corners of enclosure, do we expect the said horse to perform well the day we release it for the race of life?
“Lastly, if we did not give the “finest grasses” and the “best vitamins” to the said beast, do we have the right to expect the said beast to launch and unleash its full prowess and potentials? I do not think so!” (“A discourse on a true educative blueprint”, The Malaysian Insider, Side Views, September, 19, 2012)
This ‘trichotomy of thinking, knowledge and education’ is plaguing not only us, but also much of the developed western world. For America, the battle is saving the new generation from societal doldrums, having tasted economic success. But for Malaysia, going too far down the wrong road may mean perishing even before reaching the peak. The victims, surely, are not us nor the policy makers in their glass panelled Putrajaya offices. It is our children, and Malaysia.
Comment:
Sad but true! As Chris Hedges, the notable American writer had said on this matter:
“We’ve bought into the idea that education is about training and “success”, defined monetarily rather than learning to think critically and to challenge. We should not forget that the true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers. A culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between morality and power, which mistakes management techniques for wisdom, which fails to understand that the measure of a civilization is its compassion, not its speed or ability to consume, condemns itself to death.”
Indeed, “it is common knowledge that the core business or function of schools today is to make students score and pass examinations.
“The “emphasis” is on drilling and coaching, to ensure that students do “well” in exams. It is because of this that I concur with the observations of Robert Kiyosaki, the international author, motivator and financial commentator, when he said categorically that:
““It seems to me that the school system cannot admit they are not preparing children for the real world. That would be admitting to failure, and we all know what failure means in the school system.
““It means the school thinks your child is not smart, but what it really means is that your child isn’t doing what the school tells them to do. What a shame!
““Though, this is now the current trend, let me highlight the dangerous tendency of these misplaced procedures of the school owners’ attitude ...”
“Kiyosaki said that to the school authorities, it did not matter if the students did not learn anything at all, so long as they had complied with the requirements.
“My view is that such a mindset and the indifferent attitude of the school authorities is the ultimate betrayal of the true aim of education.
“A student had once mockingly questioned a teacher: “Should we put down what we think is right, or what we think, you think, is right?”
“I am vehement that this should not be the main objective of a true, libertarian and enlightened education.
“It is incontestable that what many school administrators now implement is not education at all, neither does it cultivate the minds of our children.
“Sadly, the procedure now being subscribed to by the modern educational system is spoon-feeding. This is the worst type of brain-washing that would give rise to intellectual retardation and academic regression.
“The process of relying solely on attaining good grades in exams would undeniably kill all forms of creativity, dynamism, distinctiveness and intellectual and mental diversity.” (More to learning than good grades, The Star, Education Section, Let’s Hear It, May 5, 2013)
Rethinking critical thinking via philosophy education
My first humble proposition is to establish a faculty of philosophy in every tertiary institution. This is not new; leading Universities e.g. Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge and MIT all have a faculty of philosophy. The word philosophy originated from the Greek word philea and sophia which means love and wisdom, hence philosophy is the love of wisdom. In academia, often it is the study of basic fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence.
A faculty of philosophy will begin to help solve the dire need for thinkers and inculcate knowledgeable persons within our society. Philosophy opens our minds, pushes us to reason, question things, which thus prepares the perfect grounds for critical thinking. While some human capital is best placed in the industry to produce tangible economic outcomes, there must be space for those who are best to appreciate great works of past thinkers that built human civilisations, to research, explore and retrieve solutions to some of the most pertinent problems that plague society currently.
Comment:
As I stated in one of my article, “Philosophy important in knitting moral fibre”, The Star, Education Section, Let’s Hear It, August 5, 2012:
“It is sad that Malaysia does not have a university with a Department of Philosophy. Undeniably, “this absence affects the integrity of the educational mission of universities.”