Alteration of man based on the society: Insights from India's caste system and education!

The chapter called 'The socialist alteration of man" was super interesting! Vygotsky and Engel talk a lot about how the society and its nature shapes our inclinations and intellectual/physical development. He says "the basic law of historical human development, which proclaims that human beings are created by the society in which they live and that it represents the determining factor in the formation of their personalities, remains in force".

I could relate a lot to this because of the history of caste system in India and how it has influenced individuals' personalities and development in different ways. Although the prevalence of the caste system and distinctions based on that is slowly dying out in the urban areas, it is still very much prevalent in the rural regions.  Individuals were classified into the following categories (see image below), primarily due to division of labor. However, that started influencing their development as well. Eventually it also became an avenue to discriminate between people, where the upper castes would use their position to rule over the lower castes.
                                                                                                                
                                       
 As you can see from the chart above, Bhramins were usually the learned, well educated and were responsible for the spiritual and religious aspects of life. If you look at their personalities, they would be intellectually well rounded and focused a lot on spiritual development. People from the lower castes would also call them home to fulfill their religious/spiritual purposes. The next caste was Kshatriyas. Since they would generally be responsible for the safety of the societies/kingdoms, their primary focus would be physical development. They were very strong and knew the know hows of the battle field. The next are Vaishyas. Their primary focus was business and transactions and they would tend to be great at communication and handling finances. Below them are the Sudras, the servants or helpers. They personalities are hardy and strong, but not intellectual (knowledge wise), but still they would be street smart sometimes.

Although it is important to note that there can be individual differences but for most part this holds true. I can also see this play out in my own life. I come from a Vaishya family (business oriented) , while my husband comes from a Bhramin family. And it is so interesting because my husbands family focuses so much on education and spirituality, while my family is so good with communication. Now there was an incident where my husband's family had to sell an ancestral property and I could see them struggle to negotiate and know how to handle a huge sum of money. So my dad had to help them out and give them suggestions on what to do and how it needs to be done. So I can clearly see how this division of labour has eventually influenced generations of individuals and their personalities and development.

If you look at the education system in India, it is again tailored to mass produce similar individuals to suit the industrial nature of the society. So I definitely think that it is time we focus on the holistic development of children so that the future society can be more balanced.  On another note, when I was reading this chapter, it also reminded me of how technologically dependent we have become and how children are introduced to it at such a young age that it somehow takes away the social nature of our relationships and interactions. It does not allow us to focus more on nature, outdoor activities, spirituality and so on. I am reflecting if that could be one of the reasons for a surge in anxiety, depression and other personality problems , especially among the younger population as many of them complain of loneliness???