Replacing ‘western knowledge’ with ‘Indian knowledge’ could result in intellectual disaster

Source: The post is based on the article “Replacing ‘western knowledge’ with ‘Indian knowledge’ could result in intellectual disaster” published in The Indian ExReplacing ‘western knowledge’ with ‘Indian knowledge’ could result in intellectual disaster on 18^th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Issues associated with education

News: The article explains the evolution of Indian knowledge system and concerns with replacing it with the Western knowledge system.

How is Indian knowledge different from the western knowledge?

The western system thinks of knowledge as “logos”, meaning knowledge based upon reasoning. In contrast, Indian traditions of thought looked at knowledge as an experience, as knowing.

The two Sanskrit words vidya and gnyana, represent the basic difference between the two traditions.

Vidya admits proof and evidence and attempts to develop methods of bringing perception into the form of a logical statement, while gnyana rests upon testimony and the truth of the word. 

How has the Indian knowledge system developed with time?

In Indian traditions of learning, memory had been a central interest from the earliest times. It is described by the term smriti, which means remembering.

As per the Bhagavad Gita, weakening of smriti may lead to destruction of the intellect.

In ancient Indian society, special care was taken to aid and facilitate easy remembering of the text by introducing various accessible mnemonic tools.

This helped in preserving texts through memorization with a very high standard of accuracy.

The Indian idea of knowledge brought intellect closer to intuition, together with the use of memory for the reproduction of texts from the past.

This resulted in the most favoured mode of receiving and giving education not only in medicine, chemistry, sculpture, etc. but also in philosophy, poetry, mathematics and astronomy.

However, the social division that began to develop in Indian civilization more than 2,000 years ago made it difficult to produce any true “universal knowledge”.

The access to memorisation technique was restricted by the social status of a person.

This kind of schooling changed after paper became available for use in India during the 13th century. The oral as well as written format coexisted in an interdependent manner in the Indian system of knowledge.

Therefore, manuscripts existed in both writings as well as in oral form and this continued in Indian history for centuries.

After the arrival of print technology in India, languages were chosen for printing in India not for their literary qualities but for their convenience.

Thus, the traditions of knowledge that had oral as well as written presentation continued to remain cut off from those knowledge traditions that had only the oral form.

As a result, the divide between social classes that had easy access to letters and those who did not was widened during India’s transition from medieval to modern periods.

What will happen if Indian knowledge system is replaced with the Western?

It will make Indians ignorant of the past and learners may even start negating the presence of the social divide that existed in the Indian knowledge system.

It will produce a generation of students who may grow up thinking that all knowledge developed in ancient India lies hidden in some manuscript archive.

Hence, trying to take India forward to the past will make India a continent of ignorance.