Intellectual Liberation Vs. Prevailing Culture

Intellectual Liberation Vs. Prevailing Culture is written by By: Dr. Sally Mabrouk

The best approach that institutions can do is analyze their reality, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and define the best solutions to overcome any failures. Rarely do we find an institution that suffers from a deeprooted problem and never find solutions, but a small brainstorming, would, in fact, lead to flood of creative ideas and solutions.

So where's the problem then?! Why there would be no change though the problem and methods of solution are recognized? What if we add to this: the willing and efficiency to solve?

In fact, we should never confine this to the management experts, but we must resort to specialists in institutional psychology, those who are able to analyze the behavior of the people of that institution and properly access the cause of this unjustified behavior.

In one of the attempts to break this dilemma, a team of specialists in this field tried an experiment on 5 monkeys, which were placed inside a cage, and a ladder was placed as well, through which the team began to lower some of the bananas from the top of the cage.

Whenever one of the monkeys tried to climb the ladder, the team punish all the monkeys by spraying them with ice water to stop climbing the ladder, until the monkeys got the idea and the team left the fruits continuously, with no attempt of climbing has been recorded.

Later, the team replaced one of the monkeys with a new one, who started to climb the ladder, only to find the other monkeys ferociously attack the new member; this new member, too, got the idea and gave up attempting to climb again.

Interestingly, the team of experts went on with replacing, until they replaced the whole group of monkeys. They found that the new group of monkeys adopted the same approach; that is: never try to climb and attack any member who does so. This is despite the fact that they had never been exposed to the 'spraying' punishment, but in fact they inherited the idea and belief that could sustain their self-subjectivity, and never let them out of control.

Even when the number of fruits increased or when the bananas became completely above their heads, they were never provoked to raise their heads to seize them.

This is what Allah-the Almighty- has told us in many verses in the Qur'an, about how some get to inherit ideas that themselves never tried, understand or test their credibility, such as: - "And when they commit an immorality, they say, we found our fathers doing it, and Allah has ordered us to do it. Say: Indeed, Allah does not order immorality. Do you say about Allah that which you do not know?" (Aa'raf, 28)

- " They said: Nay, but we found our fathers doing thus (what we do)" (Ashuarah, 74).

- " When it is said to them: Follow what Allah hath revealed. They say: Nay! we shall follow the ways of our fathers. What! even though their fathers Were void of wisdom and guidance?" (AlBaqara, 170).

- "When it is said to them: Come to what Allah has revealed; come to the Messenger. They say: Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following. Is it even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?" (Al-Maeda, 104)

- " They said: Hast thou come to us to turn us away from the ways we found our fathers following,- in order that thou and thy brother may have greatness in the land? But not we shall believe in you!" (Yunus, 78).

- " When they are told to follow the (Revelation) that Allah has sent down, they say: Nay, we shall follow the ways that we found our fathers (following). Is it even if it is Satan beckoning them to the Penalty of the (Blazing) Fire?" (Luqman, 21).

Verses may vary, but the truth remains the same: intellectual liberation is the greatest challenge facing any institution or society.

The compliance to "the familiar" and the blind subordination of "the dominant" is preventing us from dealing with the variables that exit around us and distract us from reality.

To escape this, we must always maintain the virtue of curiosity. How many times did one rule out relevant and important decisions, only to comply with the dominant culture in order to maintain the acceptance of others.

Intellectual corruption is no less harmful to any institution or society than the damage caused by financial, administrative or even moral corruption. Think about the intellectual corruption that prevents you from reaching your aspirations and achieving your goals.