Critical Thinking: Considering Different Perspectives

Critical Thinking: Considering different perspectives

Consider the following quote from Professor Amartya Sen:

"One of the things Mr Modi did do is to give people a sense of faith that things can happen.  It may not have been exactly the things that I would have liked but I think this is an achievement. This wouldn't make my differences with Mr Modi on issues like secularism go away but, on the other hand, if we don't recognise it, we're missing out on something very important." (http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/the-biggest-issue-with-this-government-is-social-cohesion/3/)

One could arrive at Professor de Souza's aggrieved interpretation that Professor Sen failed to utilise a golden opportunity he had to stand up against the current Indian government's policies that undermine the heterogeneous and secular nature of the Indian society, thus leading to increased alienation among the minorities.  So he is not wrong in lamenting:

There are times in the life of a society when moral philosophers are called upon to speak, not in brief, not by ignoring crucial issues, but forthrightly by identifying the issues that define our times. They help the critical voices within society to speak because they carry so much moral and philosophical authority.

Here, Prof. de Souza wants an assertive and authoritative critique from an eminent thinker like Prof. Sen to lead critical discourse in the country in relation to the current political malaise that the country faces. He feels let-down that attention instead went to Prof. Sen's endorsement that the Modi government has something positive to offer. However, I would argue, that Prof. de Souza in stating:

When a moral philosopher of high standing awards a certificate of achievement to a government, opposing voices lose courage."

has either ignored or missed the point that Prof. Sen is making. It's a philosophical observation that Prof. Sen makes about human nature. He sees the giving of `a sense of faith that things can happen' to the people as an achievement. In making that statement, Prof. Sen is also alluding to the previous governments' inaction (and this, as he later goes on to elaborate, includes the failure to publicise one's achievements) that led to these governments losing the mandate to lead the country. In a democracy this is important because once you are able to get people to believe that you can make things happen, you get people, and their votes, on your side. Whether it is for good or bad, the reality is for the masses faith is an important aspect, and to achieve anything, politically or socially, it is imperative to instil that faith in people - and that is something which politicians and social workers need to recognise if they aim to gain in any way.

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If you notice, there is a combination of present and past tenses used in the above article. Attend our course on grammar to find out more about tenses and how to use them appropriately.