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Is literacy level a basic measure of morality, humanity, honesty & character of a nation?

Is that all that is written in the Quran? You're response is not even worthy of a proper answer.
Well, I only reply what is asked why should I start going off topic?
 
Compare india/pak to the west

Question for the desis living in the west


I am talking about basic human qualities not generally needing the danda of the strict law implementation

Please keep religion out of it - no one can read let alone understand / implement the Quran if he is illiterate

Interesting. I interpreted your post completely differently from others here...

To me, the literacy level of a society is a measure of egalitarianism, and thus morality, in a society. Not because of the literacy itself, but the fact that such a society considers certain opportunities to be a fundamental birth right of every citizen.

At one end, most people accept basic freedoms and non-discrimination as a non-negotiable right. Near the other end, some people believe health care should be free for all. Education comes in the middle and different societies put different emphasis on it.

That's not to say that education, by itself, makes people or the society moral. Some of the worst crimes in history have been committed by highly literate societies. Access to education is merely a prerequisite for further egalitarianism in a society, viz. access to jobs, capital, freedom of expression, etc. and there is no guarantee that equal education will be matched by equality in other domains.

Maybe the socioeconomic status is also an important factor. Ive noticed that the upper middle class still practices some ethics. The lower socioeconomic class is full of hypocrites and upper class mostly consists of spoilt dishonest people with identity crisis

You have GOT to be kidding me!

The moral hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie has been the whipping boy of satirists for centuries.
 
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Where did morals come from? Where did these guidelines come from? How did they develop?

A code of conduct, or morals, develops organically in any group of humans. The code evolves to benefit the survival of the group. I am sure you have also read Lord of the Flies, so you know what I am talking about.

That's where the clash with modern society comes in. Many of the rules which were deemed necessary to benefit the ancient tribal society don't always make sense any more. For example, the traditional prohibitions against contraception and homosexuality were devised partially to maximize fertility and the tribe's size. Those considerations are less relevant today.
 
Are we all sitting in a circle looking into the wrong fire? Groups might breed morality, as a yardstick to measure good and bad behaviour; good and bad behaviour themselves being defined as good for the group, or what has been prescribed as good for the group, and the reverse. So good and bad behaviour are pretty much determined by decisions taken elsewhere, outside the individual.

So is that the right subject for discussion?

Should we not be looking long and hard at individual rights, rather than group morality?

I think @hinduguy has got it right and you also make a good point.

Traditional morality puts the group's benefit above individual rights. Modern morality tries to redress that tilt.
 
So if illiteracy is not the cause, whats the cause of this moral decay?

You take the rape/stoning incidents to the drivers stealing petrol from the cars etc


Certainly not,

Illiteracy has no role in morality whatsoever.

Firstly, Literacy should be seen independent of education. Literacy is a secular social concept which does not differentiate among content of it's reader;it just accentuates ingrained traits of the receptacle of Literacy. A illiterate mullah who wanted to blow up people would read books or materials on making better IED's and would search for sounder theological justification for blowing people up once he become a literate man.

Education on the other hand is the process of socialization in which attitudes of people are consciously modified. Education's effect on character of a person is determined by content of propaganda and intelligence of a person being educated and both the strength and capability of propagator .

But than what would be considered as education???

Definition varies depending on ideology of a person.
 
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is it me or every one is going to receive a notification of mention again when i quote your post mentioning others?-
 
Compare india/pak to the west

Question for the desis living in the west


I am talking about basic human qualities not generally needing the danda of the strict law implementation

Please keep religion out of it - no one can read let alone understand / implement the Quran if he is illiterate

The new definition of Literary that is being used in developed countries is the ability to deal with daily social and financial situations in an honest, upright and lawful manner and not about whether you can write your name or not.
 
It really depends upon what one means by ‘Literacy ‘and by ‘Morals, humanity, honesty & character’ when referring to the nations.

Normally accepted definition of literacy or an illiterate person implies a person who can read and write. High literacy level of a nation thus refers to those where majority of the children has been thru schooling of some kind and therefore able to read and write. This definition does not automatically imply that the nation as a whole has developed the ‘Basic human values’ such as common sense, tolerance & an inherent sense of decency & justice.

A young human mind is like a blank canvas. It is influenced by the values of his/her family, quality of schooling and his childhood friends. The behavioural pattern of the adult is therefore is governed a lot more by the culture the child grew up in than mere ability to read and write.

Home environment has undoubtedly the greatest influence. Therefore parents have the prime responsibility to teach decent human values to their offspring. When I was growing up in a ‘Chak’ as a village is commonly called in Sargodha area; theft and petty crimes were few and far between and there was a lot of consideration and compassion shown to everyone including strangers. This was because generation of parents had instilled basic human values on the children from an early age. This despite the fact the peasants were mostly illiterate.

Main shortcoming of ability to reads is that simple reading is passive. Many readers consider moral & ethical messages conveyed in the text simply as some text to be read but not necessarily followed. Argument for literacy is based on the assumption that a high literacy level will enable adults of the nation to read books on different subjects and possibly absorb different ideas. I would therefore differentiate between ‘Literacy’ and ‘Education’.

Constructive human development is based on active engagement and interaction with the world around the person and his ability to assimilate and absorb new ideas; and finally to differentiate between ideas & concept to be followed or rejected. Mere literacy is therefore not enough; in addition to a balanced education, travelling to different places and experiencing differing cultural values is also required.

Many middle/upper middle class have little time to devote to their kids. Next most important influence on the young mind after their home is their teachers. Indirectly middle classes are looking to schools to take on a larger role in their children’s moral growth

Here it would be important for to ask ‘What is moral development, and what types of school programs and efforts are likely to promote it? Do the teachers have the capacity to inspire and teach students to be a moral person that is “To care about and take responsibility for others, to think clearly about and pursue justice, to sacrifice for important principles such as applying strict standards of right and wrong?”

I have seen moral values in Pakistan deteriorate sharply within my lifetime. More so among the middle & upper middle classes. The case of Shahzeb Jatoi and son of the Police Superintendent who took policemen with him to shoot the youth he had a fight with, is a case in point. These kids were obviously spoiled and thought it normal to shoot & kill another human being on account of an argument between the two young men.

Another tragedy in Pakistan is that the government has no control over what is actually taught in the thousands of madrasah and the private school found in every locality. What kind of moral values are imprinted on the minds of hundreds of thousands of young Pakistanis enrolled therein? Additionally, majority of madrasah students come from very humble background and are a long way from home; thus easy to brainwash into whatever their teachers desire. We see direct result of this in the form of the young boys willing to kill indiscriminately and /or willing to blow themselves up on the orders of their handlers.

Thus in my humble opinion, it is not ‘Literacy’ but a well thought-out and balanced Curriculum of education that is the true measure of moral values and the character of a nation. I am forced to admit that Jamaat Islami leadership realized this reality long time back and whenever JI is asked to join government, their preference is for the Education Ministry.
 
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So if illiteracy is not the cause, whats the cause of this moral decay?

You take the rape/stoning incidents to the drivers stealing petrol from the cars etc


The leaders---the rich & the famous---when they go out of control---when they lose their morals & character---the majority also wants to do the same---the few & the rich can hide behind their wealth & the high walls of their mansions---but for the majority---they want to show their machismo out in the open---when they do that---it comes @ a cost---the cost is morality & character.
 
To an extent, it matters.

But very importantly, so is enlightenment.

I've seen "educated" people running after money with no concern for society's greater good. And usually, those people serve as role models for others below the social chain. Poor role models at that.

One needs to understand that there's a finish line in every marathon run. They just keep running! LOL....

What the educated, upper class and the powerful do have more weight on the greater society.
 
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