Philosphy and the Consciousness of Thai Education and Political Crisises

Abstract

          The essay explains the theoretical framework to be used in analyzing relation between education and conflicts in social and political-economic conditions, i.e. the theories of hegemony and false consciousness. It claims that, when viewed from such theoretical framework, the crises in Thai democracy and in education are directly related; because, for the whole forty years, Thai education has served the state hegemonic section, and produced the middle-classes who have totally false sense of morality, such that they are violently hostile to democratic ideals. It also shows the analysis of how Thai education crisis could not be otherwise explained, except in terms of politics which operates at the culture level. That is because its crisis is far more severe than the crisis that other nations that might possibly be affected by other common factors. It concludes that Thai education is under the influence of a unique condition which might be called “radical conservatism”.