Summary of Dr. Radhakrishnan's On Earth One Family

 

Introduction

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan is the second president of India.  Indians celebrate Teachers Day to mark the birth date of Dr. Radhakrishnan.  He is a philosopher, statesman and a teacher.  He has written many books on religion and philosophy.  On Earth One Family is a prose about equality among every human being around the world.

 

Role of Science and Technology in Bringing Unity

            Dr. Radhakrishnan begins the essay by saying that the dream of prophets and the seers have true.  The modern world is emerging into a world society.  Every one of us belongs to one family because the earth has become one.  Buddhism, Christianity and Islam have talked about brother-hood, one family and one God on earth.  Science and technology has made this come true.  We are all brought together easily through science and technology.  Inspite of different races and cultures we all have become one.  The development of nuclear weapon has created the fear and hatred of war.  This has made all countries to be friendly with each other.  Total disarmament will bring peace among us.  If we want to be peaceful we should achieve it through love and brother-hood and not through hate, violence and force.

 

The Example of Nepal

            Dr. Radhakrishnan takes Nepal as an example on how to achieve peace.  Nepal had three separate entities – Bhaktapur, Patan and Kathmandu.  These three places had their own armies and existence.  After a lot of struggle, they merged together and became one state-Nepal.  To become one social injustice must be removed.

 

Qualities to Achieve Unified World

            Dr. Radhakrishnan lists the following three qualities to achieve peaceful life:

1.      We should feel that we belong to one whole and we all have common purposes, apart from all sorts of differences we have.  We all should be unified by one central authority, which will encourage love and peace among people.  This centre will link with other parts of world and we all can be united.

2.      The second quality is to remove injustice among people and to have a sense of contentment.  People should not be frustrated about their living.  They should be content with what they have and do not cry over what they do not have.  This could be achieved by removing the injustice done to them.  People must be hopeful that their life would change.

3.      The third quality is to develop a sense of belonging.  Every citizen should have a sense of belonging with the whole world.  Everyone must have the right idea, which will move the world in the right direction.  We should get rid of bad ideas.  We should have a sense of tolerance and not hostility.

 

Conclusion

Dr. Radhakrishnan is happy that the world today is united.  Earlier people did not know what was happening outside their country and religion.  But today with the help of radio, transport and communication.  This idea of oneness should be instilled in the young minds before it is corrupted by other factors.  Dr. Radhakrishnan could see the change with his own experience and with his own eyes.  To achieve unity, we should not think of the past but think of the future.  Today is an age of interdependence.  Every country depends on each others.  We must teach young students  about one nation.

Summary of Bertrand Russell's Knowledge and Wisdom

Introduction

Bertrand Russell is a modern philosopher, educationist and an essayist.  He was awarded Nobel Prize for literature.  He is also a famous mathematician.  In the essay, Knowledge and Wisdom, he defines and differentiates knowledge and wisdom.  He talks in detail about the need of wisdom compared with growing knowledge. 

 

Knowledge without Wisdom

Bertrand Russell begins the essay by saying that everyone should agree that human beings progressing with knowledge but there is only little growth in wisdom.  To define wisdom, we should take several factors into consideration.  The first factor is the sense of proportion.  By this Russell means that we have take into consideration all the possible factors attached to a problem.  To explain this Russell gives two examples.  The first one is during a medical research to reduce infant death rate, if we are successful in finding a medicine, it would be a trouble in over populated countries.  It would lead to starvation and low standards of living.  The second example is when we are busy with atomic research, which could also be used to destroy people.  Knowledge when used without wisdom is harmful.

 

The Need of Wisdom

Comprehensiveness with a broad mind would result in wisdom.  Knowledge is very narrow and it should be combined with wisdom, which is broad and knows about the end of human life.  This could be learnt from history.  For example Hegel gained much knowledge and came with a great philosophy.  The Germans used it to lead a war.  Hegel’s knowledge has become very narrow because it did not think about the end of human life.  It is for this reason we need wisdom.

 

Wisdom in Personal Life

Wisdom is also essential for our personal life.  It is essential for us get rid of our personal prejudices.  Though it is hard to be free from personal prejudice, one must try to achieve it.  Russell gives an ordinary example of two persons, who hate each other.  Both persons abuse each other in the same way.  They may be prejudiced.  If we have enough patience and explain them of their personal prejudices, they may become friends and lead a happy life.  This is possible because of wisdom.

 

Wisdom is Emancipation

We look at world through our senses and we are all selfish.  Russell wants us to come out of our ego.  When we are infants we give importance to our senses of hunger and cry, but as we grow we get more wisdom.  Similarly, we should grow out our ego.  This might happen when we stop thinking of here and now.

 

Russell about Wisdom

Russell says that wisdom should be one of the aims of education.  He uses the story of the Good Samaritan, who loves good and bad people.  We listen to this story in this church but we never behave like a Good Samaritan because we hate our neighbours and the people who are bad in the society.  This hatred makes us harmful.  He gives the example of Queen Elizabeth I, King Henry IV and Abraham Lincoln, who were not harmful to the people because of their wisdom.

 

Conclusion

Russell concludes the essay by saying that wisdom can be taught.  While improving our knowledge we learn about hatred and narrow-mindedness.  Knowledge must be taught along with morals, which would make us citizens of the world.  Such knowledge should be taught along with wisdom.