As interest wanes, does philosophy still have a place in Malaysia?

Azizi Jusoh has always been proud of his master's degree in philosophy, earned nearly three decades ago at a university in the UK.

After returning to Malaysia, he had frequent meet-ups with friends who would engage him in conversation about what he had learned abroad. 

He was also sought out by those who were interested in reading up on the side about the field of philosophy. 

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he recalled a number of local publishing houses which sold books on philosophy from other countries, including some which were translated into English and Indonesian. 

Back then, he said, people were interested in philosophy as it offered a wider perspective in assessing issues and even problems in day-to-day life. 

Over the years, though, Azizi began noticing a change as the focus on philosophy was slowly taken over by fiction novels and books in the political genre.
 
"If you visited the recent international book fair in Kuala Lumpur, you would have seen too many novels and books on religion," he said. 

"No one wants to offer people critical reading material. There are a few here and there, but they are not new books. Most of them are old publications." 

Even in the academic field, he said, many universities no longer offered philosophy at the master's and PhD level. 

"It's worrying," he added. 

No more philosophers?

In Malaysia, famous thinkers include Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Usman Awang, and A Samad Said.

For Azizi, though, the burning question is: where will Malaysia turn to for its thinkers and philosophers in time to come?

According to social critic Chandra Muzaffar, there is no fixed background from which such individuals can be found. 

Generally, though, they come from the academic circle as they are more likely to talk about philosophy, he said. 

"If we look back at history, there were thinkers who had nothing to do with universities," he said. 

"Socrates was not a university graduate and never had a degree or anything like that. But it cannot be denied that he is among the best leaders in world history." 

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said philosophers did not need degrees or academic qualifications. 

Rather, he said, the title was normally awarded to individuals or groups. 

"And this does not necessarily happen while the person in question is still alive," he added. 

"Background is not important. Time is the deciding factor." 

Chandra said philosophy could be defined as a form of activity that prioritises the thought process and the result of this for the benefit of society. 

"For example, right now we need to think more deeply about the pandemic: how it came about, its nature, cause and effect," he said. 

"The Covid-19 pandemic clearly shows that mankind as a whole is not ready."

He said a deeper discussion could also be held about issues such as corruption. 

"We have to think in-depth, what is corruption? What are its effects, and so on? We also need to ask how corruption can grow in societies around the world, even though there are those who sincerely oppose it."