The Hindu : dated December 30, 1952: Philosophy a must for all

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 30, 2002

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dated December 30, 1952: Philosophy a must for all

From the Editorials: "The steady decline noticed in the study of philosophy in Indian universities was mentioned by Dr. D.M. Datta of Patna University, presiding over the Indian Philosophical Congress at Mysore. It is a great mistake to think that philosophy "bakes no bread" and is of little practical utility. It may not be of immediate practical value as engineering or medicine; but, without a philosophical background, man loses his sense of direction and overvalues ephemeral wealth or power. It is equally wrong to think that philosophy concerns only the elderly seeking consolation from the cares of life. The ultimate questions of life are of equally deep interest to adolescents developing a critical intelligence. In America, for instance, students read philosophy not to become philosophers, but because they want answers to the basic problems of life. In France, nearly every undergraduate learns some philosophy. Unfortunately, in India, one of the homelands of ancient philosophy, there is reaction against the humanities in favour of the sciences, and philosophy is being relegated to specialists."

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