The Centurial Repeat of History

 The early and later parts of the 20th century were eras in contrast. The early part was almost an anarchic world where power primarily ruled the roost. In the second half, what followed was the era of dichotomous consensus. Despite the disturbing manoeuvres of the competing blocks, people knew what to believe, follow, and oppose. The presence of an ideational ingredient intertwined with an idealistic claim was extraordinary. Finally, in the war of ideas, the evolving one stood the test of time. 

The winning idea is now nowhere visible, not even the bipartite interplay of ideas preceding it. Does history repeat itself during the following century? 

Niraj Kumar Jha 

Knowledge Foundation

Knowledge decides the destiny of a people. Prolonged crisis inevitably is a symptom of poverty of collective knowledge. In other words, a continued state of adversity is the stubborn perversity of shared cognition. Nonetheless, the almost insurmountable challenge is knowing what knowledge is and that is the trap. People generally do not know what knowledge is. Knowledge seekers must deconstruct the making of the foundational premises of a '-logy' and '-ism' and their present play whether they help or not and whether they are illusive or substantial.

 
Niraj Kumar Jha

The Problem of Taking Assumptions as Facts

People form assumptions based on their impressions of what is happening around them or what is presented before them. When they express these assumptions, they unknowingly become defenders of those ideas. As they lack an understanding of the reasons behind their beliefs, they often adopt a fanatical and even aggressive stance when questioned. Tragically, even educational institutions engage in the same behavior. They manipulate or disregard facts to reinforce their own assumptions. This is something I have personally experienced. Decades ago, after completing my master's in political science, I realized I had been subjected to an indoctrination process. The recurrence was showering dogmas as theorems or as revealed unquestionables. For instance, we were taught Lenin's theory of imperialism, which was an adaptation of Hobson's and was unhistorical though presented as a historical theory, and patently a theory gone wrong as capitalism had not collapsed as theorised. But it continued to occupy the foundational position of a paper of the first year honours (again foundational).

A concerned person must study reading materials and events with an open mind. Knowing is a human responsibility. Examining any idea based on historical and social genesis, its linkages with existential anxieties, and actors and factors sustaining those ideas is a duty on the part of each one.

Niraj Kumar Jha

Reimgining Democracy

Democracy, despite being limited in its acceptance in the comity of nations, reversals, and slide, has come of age. Now, it is vintage. It evolved in England and formalised organizationally in the USA, the latter happening two and a quarter centuries ago.

With the help of its civilizational norms, India reinvented itself as a full-blooded democracy and the deepening of its democratic norms and practices continues.

However, the point is that democracy emerged in response to monarchism and offshore imperialism. Democracy did come with the awareness of its essential concern, i.e. mutual and collective guarantees of the dignity and well-being of each and all. It did get its mechanisms: constitutions containing guaranteed rights, separation of powers, and periodic elections. Nonetheless, it only put everything as an icing on the existing cake. Besides, when the American republic was founded during the concluding years of the eighteenth century, the fastest means of communications, executing all these, were saddled horses. Not even the abandoned telegraph by now was there. Now we are in the age of zeroed live communication, vastly reduced physical transportation, and artificial intelligence. Everything is in the rapid change mode along with the magical tech revolutions. Despite all these, the basic mechanisms of democracy remain of the age of horse-drawn carts and homing pigeons. Is this not a time for making democracy's makeover for reflecting the current realities?

Niraj Kumar Jha

Philosophy as I see it

Philosophy as I see it, is about making sense of existence and surroundings so that we sail and do not sink into the existential unknowables or get lost in the mazes of our makings. If we failed militarily, endured slavery, and allowed others to humiliate us, it was our philosophical failure.

Niraj Kumar Jha

Realism or Irrealism

 These are times of crass realism in international politics—or simply, times of irrealism! Apparently, the actors are resorting to realism, but it may not serve their national interest or the good of the world. The realism is mistaken, as it is not missed by concerned observers. 

As we advanced into a highly connected world with distances reduced or eliminated in every realm of human interaction and transactions, the world appears more on tenterhooks. 

The point is that a world that does not care for idealism, the good of humanity as a whole, makes their realism detrimental to any player's interest, not to mention the global good. 

Humanity faces severe crises of environmental unsustainability,  unemployment, hunger, and crimes, and needs concerted efforts. On the contrary, economic rivalry, worse geopolitical conflicts, and even ugly irredentism (even unsubstantiable) overwhelm the collective consciousness. 

Fairness in transactions eludes the world, which seeds all other problems. We require a broader and deeper understanding of international power rivalries so that humanity can rise for itself. Idealism was never irrelevant, and of its made-up irrelevance we must be more bothered about now. 

Niraj Kumar Jha 

Democratising Knowledge

Present times tell us to train our brains which was ever needed but past times were silent about this. People were supplied and they sourced to feed and work their brains. Present times tell people to autonomously process all feeds. Among others, social media has made present times to speak thus. It is about people talking among themselves.

Knowledge is a dedicated endeavour requiring resources and an ecology. Required is the diffusion of such pieces and their realisation and for that the bearers of specialised knowledge must make efforts to democratise knowledge.

Democratisation will begin when the bearers first test their pieces on the ground, amidst peoples' trials and tribulations, fears and expectations, despair and hopes. They must prioritise people over their theses.

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Niraj Kumar Jha