The word "metascience," however, need not necessarily be taken to be equivalent to metaphysics which literally means beyond physics and is a critical study of the nature of reality. One particular perspective to looking at the nature of this metascience is known broadly as the analytical approach that roughly defines philosophy as the critical analysis of the fundamental concepts and assumptions of the sciences. Thus, strictly speaking there is no philosophy as such, but only philosophy of some subject such as philosophy of physics, philosophy of biology, philosophy of economics, philosophy of law, philosophy of language, philosophy of art, and so on. Indeed, there may be as many branches of philosophy as the number of distinct disciplines. Thus if we conceive of the normative sciences -- the sciences of what should be in accordance with the standard specified for each science such as logic, aesthetics, and ethics -- as opposed to the positive sciences -- the sciences of what is as a matter of fact such as physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, we can consider philosophy of ethics, generally known as metaethics, as a branch of philosophy and legitimately subsume it under the general category of the "science of sciences." The philosophical approach gives us a better understanding of science and sometimes puts a science on a new foundation or gives birth to a new science. Because of this interdependence of science and philosophy, it is often said that "philosophy without science is empty and science without philosophy is blind."

In the western curricula of higher education since the time of ancient Greece, logic has always been, and still continues to be, an integral part. Plato rightly understood that education does not consist of merely pouring information into the minds of students. Philosophers of education nowadays warn us about the dangers of "information overload." It is commonly claimed, and I think justly, that we now live in an age of information. In modern societies there is a continuous flow of new, changing, and even conflicting information. Information is important. But merely piling up heaps of information can only create chaos and confusion. The exposure to the massive amounts of new information increases the importance of developing an ability to search, find, analyse, interpret, evaluate, and apply relevant information to the solution of our personal and professional problems, and the resolution of different types of conflicts.

One can very cogently argue that any discipline taught without combining it with a proper training in the basics of logic is an education that is grossly incomplete and inadequate for creating worthy citizens capable of understanding and practicing democracy. It is often said that any two countries having McDonalds do not wage war against each other. This is certainly true. But the reason why this proposition is true lies obviously not in the eating of McDonalds burgers, but in something else, like the existence of democracy in both countries. The practice of democracy, however, requires a mindset moulded by logic. The proper study of logic creates a capacity for critical thinking and argumentation which is so essential for asking the right question, analysing socioeconomic and political problems and issues, criticising faulty arguments, presenting sound arguments, and making the right decision. A logical bent of mind of the masses makes it possible to create and sustain a peaceful and prosperous society based on healthy competition as well as reciprocal cooperation for greater mutual benefits rather than mutual destruction. This should not, however, lead us to falsely believe that a democratic country will refrain from exploiting an undemocratic country by not making a preemptive attack on it, for example.

Quite understandably, the colonial rulers did not consider it necessary to put logic in its proper place in the curriculum of higher education in our country. In spite of having enormous resources and maintaining a standard of living that meets all the material needs of modern life for the majority of people, countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait remain surprising examples of third world countries. It remains a painful as well as a shameful fact that though students, procession-mongers, and even many educators and policymakers in our country, as in other so-called developing countries, often talk about replacing the colonial system of education for creating clerks with an appropriate alternative system, they only grope in the dark. Even our vocational and technical education seems to be designed in such a way as to make the graduates capable only of following instructions from their western counterparts. I believe that a very deep knowledge of language can only partially compensate for the lack or absence of formal training in basic logic. Utter neglect of English by some of the autocratic rulers after the emergence of Bangladesh coupled with the traditional absence of philosophy as a common core course in the curricula has led to many long term and devastating consequences for Bangladesh. We now have a serious shortage of well-educated doctors, engineers, educators, civil servants, and foreign service personnel. But the graduates of our universities when put in a western society with freedom, responsibility, reward, and punishment, can overcome their limitation and engage in creative activities with distinction.

The contents of courses, the needs of society, and the patterns of choice of disciplines always keep changing with the change of time. But logic, which is the essence and distillation of all human experience and science, remains the constant standard of knowledge. Nowadays one may have to change one's career at least once during one's lifetime. This means that one may have to unlearn some information and learn new and different information. But the knowledge of logic that is the most important and constant tool for dealing with all sorts of information does not have to be discarded. This does not, of course, mean that new, more general, or more sophisticated techniques of proof are not being invented in logic.

It is important to ponder the following questions. Why do universities in western countries attach so much importance to philosophy as to make it a compulsory component of the curriculum for Bachelors Degree in any discipline, technical or non-technical? Why do some universities in the United States require students to complete a minimum of as many as three courses in philosophy for earning a Bachelors Degree in any discipline in the liberal arts and social sciences, in the physical and life sciences, and in engineering and medicine? Why do some universities introduced graduate programs combining philosophy with such subjects as medicine, law, literature, economics, political science, and business administration?

I would strongly advocate for the necessity of developing non-government universities in Bangladesh which, I believe, may offer a better chance for quickly bringing about the long-felt and necessary changes and reforms in our higher education. Among other very important reasons for having private universities are halting the brain drain, creation of jobs, and saving foreign exchange often spent for poor education abroad. The long-term success of the private universities in Bangladesh to be judged by their quality of education crucially depends, amongst other things, upon an inclusion of appropriate courses in logic and philosophy in the various degree programmes offered. I strongly recommend the teaching of at least one compulsory course in philosophy by a well-chosen and suitable teacher. If possible, students might be allowed some option in choosing more courses in critical thinking. A single course that I would suggest for universities in Bangladesh is the one that could be entitled Reasoning and Communication. Such a course would, I believe, develop a critical thinking capacity of the students and enable them to raise useful questions about the data, select the relevant data, analyse them, derive correct implications from them, and thereupon make the right decision. This or similar courses under slightly different titles are extremely popular and widely taught in the United States.

Ahmed Jamal Anwar is a Professor of Philosophy