Building a Progressive Society

The world today stands at that vulnerable point where Fascism and its parallel ideologies are being appreciated. Politicians, political parties, reformers, modernists, conservatives, traditionalists are all equally riding waves of propaganda and are winning elections or public support. Humanity is being manipulated to accept as reality what may be poles apart from actually being so. Myths are taken as truths, fake news and propaganda make rounds on social media networks like Facebook and Whatsapp every day. What is more worrying is that people with “understanding” having undergone proper modern education from schools and colleges and Universities are being part of it. What then is wrong with the society, or the educational setup, or our thinking? In this paper, we wish to address the question of progress, critical thinking, education, knowledge, and propaganda.

It has been the prime aim of sciences to elevate the status of living. From time immemorial man has tried to innovate, discover and invent what could make life easier. In today’s times, lives have invariably changed and if the dead were raised, they would prefer going back to their graves, seeing the enormous change that has taken place globally. This change however has not been uniform throughout the globe, neither within the societies. Why is it so? To answer this question and to help a society towards progress, the social setup of the society needs to be studied. To study society or a social phenomenon is not as simple as we would like to believe. Take for example the case of Kashmir. The uprising of 2016 was pacifying and life was returning to normalcy in various parts of the valley. There were reports that the separatist camp was blaming common people for letting down the “leadership”, at the same time there were people who would blame the “leadership” for a “failed struggle”, which many may say was successful. In the then held standard 10th and 12th examinations more than 95% of students appeared in the exams conducted by the state, that too when schools had been under a constant threat of violence. The question arises of how these social phenomena do or do not reflect the state of mind of common people.

Society is not just an aggregation of people, that there are a few people who have come together and society is formed, there are associated with it the values of freedom, equality, tolerance, respect, progress, balancing of moral and material interests, etc. When this is the reality of the internal dynamics of a society, how does a society, and within it an individual, prioritize between these and many other values? Keep in mind these values are the ones that affect public routine, there are personal values that affect routine as well; love, affection, friendship, etc. How does a society, or an individual, prioritize? How did some of us reach the conclusion that “Aazadi” has to be the first priority and the education of our students would come later? At the same time, how did these 96% of students who appeared in exams take the decision that it was time to shun the struggle and appear for the exams? This can be extended further to other phenomena unfolding in our societies continuously. When a death-defying daredevil faces forces armed to their teeth with a stone and a slingshot, what do we make of the phenomenon? Was he brainwashed? Was he sentimental? What does he believe in? Why do certain people celebrate the win of a particular team and not the other? All these phenomena and many more, are questions that have taken the center stage in the social media discourse.

In these discussions, we often look at the tip of the iceberg and make a judgment. Remember that lesson we were taught about five blindfolded people perceiving an elephant in different ways. One of the blind people touches its leg and concludes it is a pillar, others make different conflicting conclusions. That lesson was there to tell us that we can be wrong in our perception if we ignore the bigger picture. To understand the bigger picture we have to understand that such phenomenon can’t be judged by studying one particular layer, there exist several other layers which need to be analyzed. We have to recognize the fact that society has various components; the visible component need not be representative of the whole. Can a Kashmiri ever accept the conclusion that the 96% of students that appeared in exams represent the entire society’s sentiment of shunning separatism and accepting normalcy? But then how does the same society conclude that the stone-pelting group or the group that is on the streets also represents the entire population? This thesis can also further be extended to other phenomena. Take for example the outspoken feminists we come across on social media, how do we conclude whether they represent every man or woman they claim to be speaking for or if they represent only a particular chamber of people?

Let us talk about the stone pelting group and the exam-giving group. Two cases arise, either both these groups are separate and mutually exclusive and hence deserve equal respect while we try to understand the phenomena. It can, on a superficial analysis, be concluded that a segment of society exists carrying a different opinion than the other and there is a visible incoherence and division in the society on its stance on a particular thing. Or, we can say, it is the same group that pelts stones and then appears in exams; in this case, the class could be called hypocritical and should not be given much attention. Are any of these positions acceptable? The answer would obviously be “no”. Where did we go wrong in our analysis? We now realize that to determine which opinion is representative of the population would require a study of more layers than the visible one. The celebrations erupting after a particular game of cricket cannot thus be understood with sweeping statements as having one particular cause. A true picture of a social phenomenon is only possible if we take into consideration all of its aspects. If appearance was the only reality, there would be no need for any sciences!

To start with, for carrying a correct study of society, in the public discourse, an environment of healthy and constructive criticism is to be built. This is one basic element that the Eastern World in general and the Muslim world, in particular, has chosen to remain aloof from, hence the poor level of discourse and media jingoism and social media frenzy and sensationalism. This backwardness is not necessarily that of technology and infrastructure but that of thoughts, ethics of public discourse, and loss of Humanities (adab), hence morals and etiquette. This, however, does not mean that the West is morally high, it is definitely ahead in technology, infrastructure, and in living standards in many ways; what science promises, it has given them. They are in many ways also the torchbearers of social sciences and that of the necessary outcome of their liberal arts, democracy, liberty, equality, and other basic human rights (with notable exceptions and respectful reservations though). The acceptance or rejection of these ideals can be and has to be done on the basis of a healthy, constructive but critical debate and discussion, healthy being the keyword here.

Debate-discussion plus healthy and constructive criticism is not just a necessary ingredient for studying society it is also important for buildings a healthy and constructive society. This healthy and constructive criticism is to be appreciated and cherished. Great ancient civilizations have fallen on the face when they parted ways with what was required from them. The best example is that of Islamic Civilisation. The Muslim world, not long back, used to be a highly progressive society where critical thinkers were lauded and appreciated. Trivial persecution did happen, but Al-Azhar type of institution was a norm. Learning centers like that of Bagdad were thriving. Critical thinking and healthy debates were appreciated. Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Geometry, Harmony, and Astronomy formed the bedrock after which the study of the First Principles was taken. The importance of grammar, logic, and rhetoric can never be emphasized much, for they form the cornerstone of all discourse, grammar dictating the laws of language and logic the laws of thought. This importance was first discussed by Aristotle and later by Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Khaldun, and Nasir al-Din al Tusi and practically demonstrated by Ibn Taymiyya whose works are filled by rigorous use of these sciences. I have on purpose used these names, for anyone who has a brief acquaintance with the Islamic thought and history would realize that these are people from such different schools of thought that to find this common thread between them is in itself a miracle. Today’s Muslim world stands witness to man’s tragic failure when he parts ways with reason, (the West is proof of how societies degrade when parting ways with revelation). The world is at crossroads today. Modi ji or Manmohan sahab, Mr. Trump or Ms Clinton, Geelani Sahab or Mehbooba ji or any person or living or dead may or may not be great, their policies may or may not be great, a discussion, with proper health, on this is a must so that the “may not” element is removed.

Education comes to the rescue. It raises people from lethargy, sleep, and slumber helps correct understanding of society and social phenomenon, and paves way for progress in society. That being said knowledge and education should never be confused with each other. Though the terms do overlap to some extent there is enough in them that differentiates them. It is here that criticism, debate, and discussion becomes the defining point. Education is knowledge acquired through healthy criticism and constructive thought process, which is nothing but the application of tools acquired from Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Geometry, Harmony, and Astronomy which form the bedrock of Metaphysics and Theology. When knowledge is divorced from healthy criticism (which can only be done after having acquired the before-mentioned tools), it remains knowledge but ceases to be education, it can at best be called propaganda. It is not propaganda but education that needs to be imparted to our children and elders alike. For all we know, knowledge may not always help people to move forward. History is filled with examples and our own environment is filled with examples of people with knowledge who have caused death, destruction, strife, and fasaad fil ard around the globe. It is this propaganda that is fed to people by various agencies manipulating thinking and perception. Discussion, debate, and critical thinking, if these things accompany the discourse, the propaganda balloon flattens and the entire discourse falls on its face.

It is on this propaganda that many world leaders and social “reformers” ride upon to meet their goals. Even after five years of getting exposed on Iraq war, Harris poll concluded in 2006 that many Americans continue to believe that Iraq was justly punished for carrying weapons of mass destruction. This to a knowledgeable person is laughable, but riding on the propaganda wave the US was able to invade the country for reasons better known to them. In India, the PM is sometimes declared the finest in the world by UNESCO, and sometimes the currency is declared the finest, not to forget the anthem was declared the finest long back. I won’t shy from saying that BJP rose to prominence, entirely, riding these and many other propaganda waves. The situation could have been very different had the masses been properly educated, having been imparted knowledge accompanied by critical thinking, debate, and discussion, which unfortunately is not the case. Riding on lies and myths we only reach misadventures and time is a witness that mankind has always been at loss.

I conclude by informing you about the solution till you polish your tools:

1. Maintain Objectivity: This refers to remaining free from all biases.
2. Maintain Uniformity: This refers to remaining fair and equal in all judgements.

These and nothing else will help us build a progressive society in these jaundiced times!