Education: a living knowledge is better than the dead letters of laws

  "Education gives living knowledge which is better than the      dead letter of the law" Plato

 

Plato, the renowned ancient Greek philosopher and disciple of the great Socrates, famously stated of his educational program, "Education gives living knowledge, which is better than the dead letter of the law." According to him, education and ongoing education is a live knowledge, whereas dead laws are those that are created once and then followed for centuries in the same wording and style in a rapidly changing world. This philosophy was articulated in his book The Republic. A state, according to Plato, must be ruled by a philosopher monarch who has completed at least fifty years of schooling. For Plato, fifty years of education is still insufficient, and hence the monarch should never stop learning new things. Thereafter, no rule binds the philosopher king once he reaches this degree of education. He must behave in accordance with live knowledge rather than dead laws since laws are dead and education is living knowledge. This idea is still applicable in the twenty-first century. Following dead rules and leaving live knowledge behind is one of the primary reasons behind the failure of underdeveloped nations.

Plato considers education to be the most essential component of society, thus he divided its ideal state into three classes based on its educational program. Plato believes that education is the entire responsibility of the state. Everyone must be educated by the government. Let us look at Plato's educational program. Everyone, regardless of gender, color, ethnicity, or caste, must be given an equal opportunity to learn in the national education system. The educational system is divided into different phases. Candidates will be provided basic information in the beginning, and they will be tested after 10-20 years. The unsuccessful applicants should be deployed in the labor sector because they are interested in labor. After 30 years, the passed candidates will be examined again, and those who fail the exam will be given military training and then the duty of a soldier because they are interested in the military. Passed applicants will be re-examined after 40 years, and they will then be deployed in real life for practical examinations. After 50 years, the best candidate for kingship and the other for administration duties should be chosen.

The king or monarch will continue his or her education till his or her death, and he must rule the state according to his or her knowledge and not the fixed framework of dead laws. He will not be confined to any law or rules because law is a hindrance to a monarch's knowledge. For Plato, knowledge is living, knowledge is flexible, knowledge is just, and knowledge is the ultimate authority for ruling. So a king must derive his authority from knowledge and not a set of rules or power.

Today, every state has framed an uncountable set of rules or laws for the running of its affairs, but are they in line with the changing environment? Whether they are implemented according to their spirit? Whether these laws are still relevant in the 21^st century? These are the questions raised about the legal codes of states. For example, India and Pakistan's criminal justice system and civil justice systems are regulated by laws made by the British for colonial India in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Three famous laws: PPC/IPC, CPC, and CRPC are the famous codes made by the British for colonial India in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, and they are still followed by independent India and Pakistan. Strange! Even in these laws, the amount of the fine or other minimum amount has not even changed, so how can one rule an independent state with the laws of slaves? Moreover, even the constitutions of India and Pakistan are based on the principles of the Colonial India Act of 1935. In addition, both India and Pakistan have the worst type of police system, and the police are also regulated through colonial laws made by the British.

The question arises: why are these laws still followed by independent states? The answer is simple, and that is that the laws are followed, not because these laws are so important or relevant, but because the lawmakers lack knowledge. They have no such knowledge, which is required for making laws. Lack of education and competence among lawmakers in both Pakistan and India resulted in following centuries-old laws in the 21^st century. Unless proper education is given to the legislators, they are unable to propose any set of rules. So Plato gave the right importance to education instead of laws. And this is the reason why these states cannot come out of their colonial legacy.