Philosophy as a pedagogic strategy towards leadership development

Quite a few analysts say the future of Indonesia seems promising. Our economy is growing at approximately 6 per cent; we are the only South East Asian country taking part in the Group of Twenty (G20); and as the largest economy in the region Indonesia is expected to take a leading role in the ASEAN Economic Community, which is slated to commence in 2015. These are good news in macroeconomics. The bad news is, however, our society is facing ever-increasing sociopolitical challenges at grass-roots level. The media covers them all every day: corruption, inter-religious conflicts, student brawls due to petty things, separatist movements and so forth. Given these mind-perplexing challenges and problems, one can but ask: What solutions do we need? 

Obviously, since the phenomena I have described are all human activities, it is the very human being that is capable of dealing with them. The economic, political, religious, social systems, and all the drawbacks arising therefrom, are all established by human being, hence human responsibility for them. The key, then, lies in the development of human resources so that they can take initiative and lead the way. In other words, we are in need of leaders of considerable intelligence and exemplary character. By the term ‘leader’, we are not merely referring to those holding office in bureaucracy or having an executive position in enterprises, but rather we are talking about human potential residing in each person.

I have mentioned two dimensions of a leader: intelligence, which is the cognitive dimension, and character, which is the affective dimension. Now, these two dimensions ought to be nurtured if we are to have true leaders—which then raises another question: What instrument does our society employ to instil leadership qualities in succeeding generations? Plainly, education. By educating children both inside and outside classrooms, the society is investing energy and time in developing their intelligence and character to the utmost.

However, just how effective are our schools in carrying out this enormous responsibility? Ladies and gentlemen, when you were a child and the teacher asked you to draw a panorama, did you draw two cone-shaped mountains with the sun, clouds, and unidentified birds above them and a street going through a village in which are located a modest house and a rice field? Sadly speaking, you and me, we belong to the generation that considers the picture as the only valid representation of panorama.

And such uniformity happens as well in subjects where different interpretations are discouraged; thereby making us believe that there is only one answer to each question. In mathematics, for instance, who can deny that three bottles of ketchup sold at Rp 25.000 are always more economical than Rp 10.000 for one bottle? Can’t we have a different answer if we take account of the family’s consumption rate, which perhaps does not need three bottles at once?

Given this situation, do we not worry that all students may become incompetent in thinking out of the box? If schools only dictate future leaders to have the same answer, the same perception, the same interpretation to a problem, our society will head to nothing but serious regression in human intelligence. Human beings are always meant to ponder on questions, just like babies who always wonder about what happens around them. And who are we to repress this capacity of creative and critical thinking?

Then, what can we do to radically improve the education system? Here I would like to propose philosophy as a pedagogic strategy in senior high schools. Why philosophy? Because philosophy allows students to construct autonomous opinions, which are not necessarily in line with such authority as textbooks. Take a look at France, where philosophy is taught at the secondary level. To obtain the baccalauréat diploma, French high school students have to write essays responding to such questions as ‘Is it absurd to desire the impossible?’, ‘Does language betray thought?’, ‘Are there questions which no science can answer?’ The responses to these questions are not limited to only one.

Thanks to philosophy, we celebrate the plurality of answers and encourage creative thoughts. As a result, leaders of the next generation will be well prepared to tackle problems and make informed decisions on different issues.

In the affective dimension, future leaders also zero in on ethical questions and thus begin to treat people with respect. Topics such as dignity, human rights, honesty, justice, fairness, and equality, are all in the province of philosophical reflections. With deep understanding of good moral values, we can expect that they also implement these ideas in everyday lives.

In conclusion, leadership is inseparable from philosophy and incorporating philosophy into school education is an important strategy for future leaders to realise their cognitive and affective potential.

References

• Shammas, Michael. ‘For a Better Society, Teach Philosophy in High Schools’, posted on 26 December 2012 on http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-shammas/for-a-better-society-teac_b_2356718.html.
• Starkey, Ken. ‘A New Philosophy of Leadership’, posted on 9 February 2012 on http://www.economist.com/whichmba/academic-view-new-philosophy-leadership.
• UNESCO. 2009. Teaching Philosophy in Asia and the Pacific. France: UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Sector.

The text was presented in the preliminary round of speech competition at Telkom Institute of Technology, Bandung, in May 2013.