The emergence of Philosophy as a rewarding subject
Delhi University (DU) colleges saw a renewed surge of interest in Philosophy Honours. In most colleges, general category seats in Philosophy Honours filled up even before the admissions - after the second cut-off list was announced - were completed. Besides DU, other universities across India have noticed an unprecedented rise in interest in the subject with many high-scoring students opting for it. Philosophy has acquired a strong position in the league of prominent subjects that included Political Science, Psychology, Economics, Sociology and English Literature. At DU, the interest has increased due to a change in the admission rule in 2020. Those students who had not studied Philosophy in class XII had to lose 2.5% in the best of four subjects, which dissuaded several aspirants from opting for Philosophy at the UG level. "The 2.5% deduction rule was in place for last several years. Several college principals and Philosophy teachers raised their concerns, fought against it and finally got it removed in 2020," says Balaganapathy Devrakonda, former head, professor of Philosophy, University of Delhi. The increasing popularity of careers in philosophical counselling has encouraged students to opt for Philosophy.
New Avenues
"Philosophy started picking up as one of the sought-after courses in the last couple of years but during the online mode of admissions, it has emerged as a popular course in DU for some key reasons: Traditionally, it is one of the most scoring subjects for the UPSC aspirants and has helped many students crack UPSC. Critical Thinking and Analytical skills are important elements of all entrance exams and Philosophy enhance these skills. Alongside Psychology, students also prefer Philosophy as it deals with the philosophy of mind. Most importantly, even if the students do not study philosophy in schools, they become familiar with it through yoga, meditation, art and aesthetics awareness,' says Geetesh Nirban, in charge of, Philosophy Department, Kamala Nehru College. The newly designed syllabus under DU's Learning Outcomes-based Curriculum Framework (LOCF) is dynamic and diverse. It touches upon traditional philosophical methods and contemporary elements including Applied Philosophy, in terms, of skill enhancement courses like Critical Thinking, Art and Film Appreciation, as well as discipline-specific courses such as Feminism, Religion, Yoga and Meditation, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Law and Language, Philosophy and Technology, Bioethics, Media Ethics, and Medical Ethics, adds Nirban.
Applied areas of Philosophy, specifically, philosophical counselling, along with psychological and medical counselling, is generating interest among people. "Philosophy is not abstract, and it is not religious either. During the lockdown, people realised that they have to spend time with themselves. Philosophy is about the reflection of one's actions and looking inwards," says Devrakonda.
From- Times of India
Published on- 18 October 2021
