The Ministry of Education has recently decided to introduce into the curriculum of Malaysian higher education a new subject entitled Philosophy and Current Issues together with another subject, Appreciation for Ethics and Civilization. The decision is seen in line with the national education system‘s direction which is value-centered education.
Ironically, the decision comes at the time philosophy has been a subject which is very unpopular in the mainstream curriculum of higher education in Malaysia.
Apart from being considered as academic luxury, philosophy is considered irrelevant due to its impractical and theoretical nature. The situation is also contributed by strong influence of modern empirical and positivist approach in science and knowledge in general. Modern universities seem to be more interested in offering more ‘practical’ and empirical subjects which presumably can cater immediate needs of the country.
This unfavourable image of philosophy nevertheless could have been avoided if its true meaning, position and positive role especially in the development of knowledge as a whole are properly construed.
As to its meaning, the word philosophy which derived from Greek term philo, to love and sophia, means wisdom already indicates a commendable nature of philosophy. The meaning symbolizes a deep admiration and passion of human quest of higher knowledge. It also reflects serious aim of philosophy in trying to find meanings behind every aspect of reality, which somewhat echoes the saying of Socrates, one of the great philosophers the Greek, that ‘an unexamined life is not worth living.’
It is therefore not surprising to learn that philosophy is known as the ‘mother of all sciences.’ This is mainly due to its significant role in inquiring the fundamental nature of reality and existence. In terms of its relation to other sciences, philosophy serves as the foundation and reason upon which a specific science is based and the framework that guide the objectives of a particular science. If the science is a tree, philosophy is the soil which makes the forest possible.
That is the reason why we always find the term philosophy being attached to many disciplines of knowledge such as the philosophy of science, philosophy of law and philosophy of education etc. As a matter fact, the philosophical aspect of any discipline is fundamental since it provides the background, objective and raison d’etre of a particular science. Once the philosophy of a subject is properly understood, the whole subject will be easily comprehended.
This is the case, for example, with the discourse of Maqasid Shariah (The Higher Objectives of Shariah) where the philosophy and objectives behind particular Islamic laws are being properly examined. The proper and deeper understanding of Maqasid of Islamic Law will surely lead to a wiser approach in terms of its implementation.
Another important role of philosophy is to provide a systematic way thinking and arguing. Through philosophy, students will learn how to ask right question, analysing matters in a critical manner and presenting arguments in an organized manner.
A study by American Philosophical Association shows that discipline of philosophy contributes in an indispensable way to the realization of four goals that should be fundamental to any institution of learning: instilling habits of critical thinking in students; enhancing their reading, writing and public speaking skills; transmitting cultural heritages to them and finally stimulating them to engage fundamental questions about reality, knowledge and value.
To put it simply, the function of philosophy lies on the fact that it deals with the bigger picture of something. This is the aspect that is lacking in the way students in the current academic system in higher education are thinking. When the system of education is becoming more specialized and compartmentalized, we are loosing the bigger picture of something and fail to find connection between many things. The failure to see the bigger picture will always lead to narrow mindedness, extremism and at times, bigotry. With the introduction of the subject of philosophy, it is hoped that the students will be more broad minded in dealing with various issues in life hence become wiser agents of a harmonious society.
Despite the optimistic hope for the introduction of the new subject, some caveats however need to be put forward. First, the success of the subject will still depend very much on the quality of the lecturers and the proper content of the curriculum. Second, the framework of this subject has to take into account the Malaysian context and background especially in terms of value system and fundamental principles enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution. Only then will philosophy lead the students toward real love of wisdom.