We need a new Social Philosophy

We need a new Social Philosophy

Gopal Birahi

gopalbir@yahoo.com

Societies of all the countries of world, in their different era and time, use to have their own individual and social problems. To solve these problems, individual and society go on doing action and reaction, because of which life of individual and society develops and moves further.

If value-based social philosophy is available to solve these troubles and to instruct, then, development of an individual and a society can go towards the right direction. If it is lacking, development of individual and society will be blocked and various problems will occur in it. For example, Vedic social philosophy was in practice in ancient (and mostly even now) Nepal. At that time, healthy individual and society couldn't develop, because in that practice/system, life of Sudras (lower-castes) and women was as of animals and was hellish. When Shramana (Bhikkhu) culture was born, then, knowledge, discipline, friendly-behavior and mercy the values of Buddhist social philosophy, because of which, men started respiratory in the free air of equality, freedom, brotherhood and justice; and society begun fulfill its overall development. Healthy social philosophy adopted by emperor Ashok and developed/ideal human and society due to that adoption is a fine example.

 Human life becomes sorrowful because it is surrounded by various problems. If we categorize these problems in a thick way, we see that some of these problems are material and some non-material. This great mystery that everything is sorrow was found by Tathagata Buddha, he found it when he attained the enlightenment. Describing sorrow, Buddha said, 'to be born is sorrow, to be old-aged is sorrow, death is sorrow, to mourn/weep is sorrow, to be unhappy is sorrow, to be together with unpleasant and to be separated with pleasant is sorrow, not to find someone/something that one wants is sorrow.'

While talking on sorrow, from Buddha to Marx, they all agree with the fact that the cause of material sorrow is poverty. If we have to do a philosophical description of this fact, it can be said that the human-body is a matter without any doubt; because body of human-being is build up with the material elements; and material-body use to have some essential needs, which use to be fulfilled by material things. Then only existence of human life is possible. In lack of material things, life of human use to be ended.

Among the main needs of material-body, fulfillment of hunger is one. Buddha had a very bitter experience concerning hunger. So he said on hunger that hunger is the greatest disease. Siddhartha didn't like poverty from his childhood. One day, he saw his father with some of his friends in the field and laymen were working with plough, with irrigation; but he saw that they didn't have enough cloths to cover their bodies. They were burning in sun light. After looking this scene, his heart went through a deep impression; and Siddhartha asked with one of his friends, 'can it be said right that one man exploits another? How can it be right that laymen work and owner mocks at their work?'

By being together of each and every individual, society becomes. In this process, problem of each and every individual comes as the problem of society. Their shapes don't use to be monstrous, until the problem is individual. But, when these problems seem as the social problems, at that time, they become very complex and monstrous. Nonetheless, because of such problems, some such problems also occur, of which existence can be harmful not only for an individual, but also for society and for overall. In such a condition, to provide a proper guidance/instruction to the society, a healthy social philosophy use to be very essential.

Most of the individual problems used to be solved in an individual level. But it is impossible to solve the social problems without a social philosophy. Social problems used to be very complex and hard; some work that an individual can't even think about, but when he/she becomes a society or a member of a social group, then, he/she doesn't hesitate to do the same work and he/she immediately executes it. In most situations, a point of view of a crowd is negative and less-positive because it works with crowd-mind.

Various social, religious, educational, political and cultural organizations use to be there in society and these social-organizations, for the fulfillment of their each and every purpose, works according to their capacity and it is called social behavior in sociological language. Social change use to be possible due to these social behaviors. For the social progress and development, equality and unity in social behavior is very necessary; by which society may gain its goals easily. If equality and unity is lacking in society, in such a situation, there use to be the danger and fear of social struggle always. In absence of equality and unity, discrimination occurs. If a justifiable social philosophy based on human-values is lacking in such a condition, social struggle becomes obligatory. A good and healthy social philosophy produces equality and unity in society. To give correct direction to the social change and for the reasonable cultural development, socio-philosophy plays an important role. It is only a good social-philosophy, which can develop intellectual individuals, society and a nation. From this point of view, in summary, it can clearly be said that social philosophy is most required in human-life.

Healthy socialization of a human is also an important process because without a justifiable socialization, development of a healthy individual and society can't be completed.