Philosophy, Human Life And Society Value Perspectives

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Sanchita Bora, born in 1973 in a village at Missamora, Assam completed her carly education in Missamora Higher Secondary School and Dergaon Kamal Duwera College. She completed her M. A. (Philosophy) from Gauhati University in 1996. She was awarded Ph.D. by Gauhati University in 2012 on "The Philosophy of Value: An Evaluation of Indian Perspectives" under the guidance of Prof. Girish Sharma.

Though poetry is her first love, she is also a prolific writer of philosophical essays in both Assamese and English. She published a book of Assamese poems in 2012. She has written more than 20 articles on different philosophical thoughts, especially on value philosophy, and published in The Assam Tribune, Sutradhar, Goriyoshi etc. To her credit, there are more than 40 research papers published in peer reviewed journals, conference proceedings and presented in national and international seminars. She also contributed many book chapters in books published by different organisations.

Presently, she teaches Philosophy in Nowgong Girls' College, Nagaon, Assam.

This book is a compilation of articles related to three broad spheres. We may consider "Philosophy, Human Life and Society" as a triangle. Perceptible thing is that different concepts and issues related to these three involve value perspectives.

The constitution of human nature and his mental faculties (thinking, feeling and willing) make him competent to choose how best he can live. The reflecti.apacity he is endowed with enables him to distinguish the right from the wrong. But, his freedom and creativity get ample manifestation within society only. At the same time, his crowning intelligence and imagination will flourish if it is guided by a healthy philosophical outlook.

Philosophy asks the basic questions and problems faced by human beings. These questions are related to Metaphysics, Epistemology and Axiology. Metaphysics asks 'what is reality', 'what is being". Epistemology enquires 'what is knowledge', 'how do we know'. And Axiology questions 'what is value'? But, philosophy is not simply a theory; it is a way of life. Though philosophy is part of a curriculum of studies, it has enormous influence on our everyday lives. Every institution of society is based on philosophical ideas. Philosophy is about the intelligent and rational uses of knowledge. In many cases it is about deciding which goals and values are worthy to pursue. Philosophy is an activity, a pursuit, a form of thinking meant to guide human growth in society. So, there is a close relation between society and value. We know that to an isolated man morality is meaningless. The significance of human life is determined by the presence and experience of social aspirations. Therefore, philosophical outlook of a human being is determined by the integration and harmonization of social and personal aspects.

Human values find manifestation in the context of interaction among human beings in society. Present society is confronted with critical problems which raise value perspectives. Again, value situation creates social consequences. So, it should be our duty to create a value climate which will encourage goodness in human being and in society. One's life ought to be lived in such a way that nobody feels injured by his or her lifestyle, deed and talks.

I have a keen interest in the value system of society. Guiding by this concern, I have written different articles on social issues and value perspectives. This work is a humble attempt to give them a book form. It is a collection of seventeen chapters which simply observes human life and different issues of society in terms of value.

The first chapter confirms that every normally developed person is in some degree a philosopher. The life of an individual is elevated by the philosophical outlook and such outlook has metaphysical, psychological, ethical and religious comportments. The next three chapters (Society, Individual and Value, Social Integration and Value: An Overview of Ancient Indian Thought, Social Changes and Value Standpoint) demonstrate how value sense makes man unique. These chapters illustrate the importance of value in different contexts of social life. The chapter Value Inculcation through Folk Tales proclaims that folk tales are the effective tools to educate a child. They can implant divine values and a deep sense of humanism in tender mind of a child.

**Contents and Sample Pages**