Value systems<\/p>\n
The article Researchers Need Encouragement (The Jakarta Post,
\nNov. 15, 1995) raises some important issues about value systems
\nwhich I hope will lead to some lively discussion in \"Your
\nLetters\". The foreigner coming to Indonesia is told that he must
\nadjust his expectations and relationships to different ways of
\nthinking.<\/p>\n
Indonesia stoutly defends and promotes its own thought
\npatterns, value systems, and way of doing things in the belief
\nthat its traditions and state philosophy are sacrosanct. Only
\nwithin that framework will it adopt foreign concepts and ideals
\nwhich are considered beneficial. Those concepts and ideals which
\nare considered to be in conflict with the roots of the society
\nare rejected, as indeed they are rejected in all countries
\nfeeling the pressure of dominant but alien ideas and culture.<\/p>\n
For instance, my country as a general consensus rejects the
\nimposition of any state philosophy or uniformity of belief. In
\ncontrast, Indonesia accepts this as an important influence for
\nuniting its diverse peoples, while at the same time rejecting
\ntheocracy based on a single faith as dangerous.<\/p>\n
The westerner needs to constantly remind himself that the
\nconsensus of free thought in his country is of quite recent
\norigin. The fight for it began around 1500 AD when it was
\nsupported only by a small minority of intellectuals, such as we
\nsee in Indonesia today. Those intellectuals of long ago --
\nstarting with Socrates in ancient Greece -- were persecuted,
\nbanished and burned in an attempt to repress their \"corrupting\"
\ninfluence on the youth of the day. It led to bloody civil wars in
\nEurope in the 16th and 17th centuries, followed by revolutions
\nagainst autocratic authority in many countries right down to the
\n20th century. Such convulsions seem to have been almost a
\nnecessary part of their evolution, but naturally any young
\ncountry today seeks to avoid them in its development. The
\nquestion is, how? Certainly, repression was counterproductive in
\nthis respect for the history of Europe.<\/p>\n
One of the consequences of free thinking was the development
\nof the scientific method of investigating natural phenomena,
\nspreading out in relatively recent times to cover all aspects of
\nhumanity such as our social habits, as in the instance quoted by
\nMochtar Buchori. A fundamental premise of the scientific method
\nis that facts are paramount, and truth arises from analysis and
\ninterpretation of those facts by open minds unclouded by
\ntradition, custom, religion or prejudice.<\/p>\n
If the truth revealed in this way undermines beliefs and
\nsystems which are the current basis of the society, then it is
\nthe beliefs and systems which must change, not the scientific
\nfacts.<\/p>\n
If this attitude and discipline is not fully accepted by the
\nsociety, then it is pointless or extremely confusing to teach
\nscience in schools. Attitudes in Indonesia were gloriously
\ncharacterized by Anwar Ibrahim in \"Your Letters\" last September,
\nunder the heading Time worry. Anything can be arranged.<\/p>\n
In European history and probably for the whole world, the most
\nfamous case of the conflict between accepted norms and scientific
\nfacts was the discovery that the earth revolves around the sun,
\nnot the sun around the earth. The consequences for old belief
\nsystems which elevated man to the center of the universe (under
\nGod) were catastrophic and are still being felt.<\/p>\n
A foreigner may not criticize, but it is perhaps permissible
\nto ask questions. The students Mochtar referred to come from
\nMadiun, but would it have been so different if their research had
\nbeen conducted in Surabaya, where at least the academics
\nappreciated their efforts?<\/p>\n
I hope they have an opportunity to read about the life and
\nteaching of Socrates, then they may be consoled that they are not
\nthe first -- nor the last -- to suffer for the truth.<\/p>\n
TED SUTTON<\/p>\n
Bengkulu, Sumatra<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/value-systems-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }