Himalayan Times (1960)

ApriP24, I960 »hmte««« \ ".

SOCIAL SCIENCES* & EDUCATION .

Dr. P. NAGARAJA RAO

Science has, put in the
hands of man enormous,
unprecedented quantum of
power and knowledge of
nature. He has split the
atom and scanned the
heavens; rids the air and
swims under water. Spe-
cially the recent alarming
developments in nuclear
physics have made the
scientists feel their sense
of power as invincible. For
long, scientists felt that
Nature disclosed her secrets
to them in very small
measures despite their ap-
plication and diligence. To-
day the situation is different.
Nature has abdicated her
powers to man. He was
not prepared for this wind-
fall. He is like the new
rich come into a fortune
but too uneducated to spend
it intelligently.

The scientific technique
is applied to many sociaj
sciences. Man lives in S
society. He has wants,
desires and ambitions In
a sense, society is the
condition of his living It
moulds most of his ideals.
His impulses, appetites, emo-
tions, and instincts are raw
and it is society that
socialises him and civilizes
him. Socialisation is the first
step in the moralisation of
man. "Man only becomes
man among men." He has

the power of learning from
others, through imitation
and sympathy. He also
induces social stimulation.
He who does not want to
live in a society is either
■a beast or an angel, dec-
lared . Aristotle.

Most of the social
sciences, politics, econo-
mics, sociology and social
psychology deal with man's
life in society Man's second
conflict is with his fellow-
men. He has to be edu.
cated to live in soci-ty
in amity with others and
establish effective co opera-
tion with all. He has to
develop the Community
sense. The social sciences
devise plans for ordering the
economic and social life of
man in good patterns so as
to avoid conflict and promote
co-operation. It was Plato
who described man as a
social animal. He has to
plan his social life wilh the
help of reason. Most of
the social sciences are
empirical. They analyase
man into a bundle of wants.
They hold the view that
all the troubles of man and
the problems of nation are
at bottom due to wrong
forms of social organisa-
tions. If we set right the
organisational defects, man
could live most happily. A
sound economic and a just

social order and a thorou-
ghly psychoanalysed com
niunity would put an end
to all evils of life.

No student of educa-
tion can question the value
of social sciences. For im-
proving the life of man,
man must have self-know,
ledge and sufficient know-
ledge of the world in which
he lives. Man has two
environments, the material
world of phys'cal facts in
time and space, etc. Besides
this there is the social
environment, the knowledge
of the society in which he
lives. Soeial sciences help .
us to understand the society
in whice we live, the basic
needs of men and women,
the economic arrangements
and political forms and
social patterns.

The most popular and .
practical view of educaiion
is to equip the student with
the requisite knowledge and
information and the neces-
sary skill to discharge his
job in this complex world
of competition. In the words
of Milton 'the test of eiu
cation is to give us the
necessary knowledge of the
world of things and that
degree of skil which wi'l
enable us to perform juit*
ly, skilfully and magnani-
mously all the offices both