The Caste System–A Defense!

The Indian Society

The hierarchical groups of the Hindu caste system in India are accepted to be about 3000 years old.¹ This time period was during the societal organization of kings and queens. It still applies today. The caste system is considered on the one hand to be due to birth and on the other hand is a socioeconomic system of a society.

The Indian caste system is divided into four classifications, the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras. From a socioeconomic standpoint the Brahmins consist of the priests, academics, and intellectuals. The Kshatriyas are made up of rulers, administrators, and warriors. The Vaishyas are made up of artisans, tradesmen, farmers, and merchants. The Shudras are the manual laborers.²

Also we can consider this from a philosophical standpoint as the system in the form of a human body. The Brahmins are the head, the Kshatriyas are the arms, the Vaishyas are the stomach, and the Shudras are the legs.³ The head makes decisions for the whole body. The arms protect the body. The stomach provides the desires to sustain the body. The legs uphold the body. This hierarchical system is natural and provides a societal structure. Each caste is equally important.

Furthermore, these socioeconomic classes exist in many societies, but just exist under different names. It does not matter whether the particular society is grouped by religion, country, or community, there is a socioeconomic classification of this sort for the society to function or even exist. But this system provides a societal structure. The legs cannot be making decisions for the body or the laborers cannot be teaching at universities. The brain directs the body to maintain itself and academics and intellectuals teach at universities.

Actually, even the United States has this stratification for the division of labor. It exists as the socioeconomic classes. The president at the pinnacle of this society uses these different classes to govern. The majority is at the bottom of the pyramid upholding the society. The majority base cannot be making decisions to direct the society. It has to come from the top with access to the multitude channels of information to benefit everyone.

In conclusion, the Caste System has a reason to exist. It not only provides structure, but also a cohesive bond for the society. Individually each class consists of people who are like-minded, and as a whole makes up a surviving and thriving alliance without disparity. This is how the Indian society exists even with the multitude of invading forces throughout the at least 10,000 year old society.

The Chinese Society

On the other hand, the Chinese society is loosely based on the Yin-Yang philosophy. The Yin-Yang theory originates from Taoism, a chinese religion and philosophy.⁴The theory is a kind of principle, neither material nor energy, that combine two opposite but complementary parts in relation to the whole.⁵The ideology is thought to be about 2400 years old.⁶

For example, Yin refers to the shady side of the hill and Yang refers to the sunny side. Yang is the masculine form and Yin is the feminine. One cannot exist without the other. Yang is the positive and Yin is the negative. Yang has the more energetic qualities such as sun, heat, bright, ascending and expanding. Yin has the more calm qualities such as moon, cold, dark, descending, contracting.

Moreover, Yin and Yang have played a central role in traditional sciences and techniques including in divination, medicine, and alchemy.⁶Representations of this logic are found in religion, art, and several contexts. Traditional Chinese medicine treats the system in relation to the whole embracing this theory.

Also, between the two complementary parts to the whole exist the component of the opposite part within it. In the light half there is a dot of dark and in the dark half there exists a dot of the light. In the energetic side there is a small calm part and in the calm side there is an energetic speck.

In conclusion, the Chinese society observes nature, relationships, and environment and accepts that it affects the whole. The Yin-Yang theory is thought to affect the functioning of the cosmos. If one part ascends the other part recedes and once the first part recedes the complementary part ascends to represent the whole. Finally, the society and even the cosmos exist in a balance and harmony.