Can you think of reasons why we should study the work of thinkers who died long ago? What could be some reasons to not study them?

We should study the work of thinkers who died long ago because –

• It helps in understanding the impact of their ideologies to know the present-day societies well. For example, to understand the communist model and its failures, we must study the theories developed by Karl Marx on capitalism and communism.

• Some of the theories developed by the ancient scholars are still relevant in the present day societies. For example, the idea of bureaucracy by Max Weber is a very important element to understand the functioning of present day societies.

• Their theories also provide various information related to social developments of the past. For example, the progress of western societies compared to Asian societies can be understood through the study of Protestant-Ethic and the Rise of Capitalism by Max Weber.

We should not study the work of thinkers who died long ago because –

• They contain some old concepts which may not be applicable to the present day societies.

• Many of these theories have been criticised from time to time. For example, the western scholars forms the ideology that the Indian villages were self sufficient entity was criticised by the Indian scholars like M.N. Srinivas, according to whom, the villages were connected with the outside world.