Binary Thinking Of The British Colonists And Macaulay Education
                     Binary Thinking Of The British Colonists And 
Macaulay Education
Chaitanya Kumari
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The Europeans, including the British, are generally guilty of ‘binary thinking’ where 
they conclude that things are just good or bad. They refuse to admit that there can 
also be something that is ‘in between.’ So, it can be said that, for them, everything is 
either ‘totally black’ or ‘completely white,’ and they don’t accept the possibility of 
‘gray.’
It’s the view of the British that anything that does not conform to their ideology or 
clashes with their interests has to be discarded or destroyed. It can never have any 
positive aspect. It’s this particular line of thought that led to the introduction of 
Macaulay’s education in India.
There have been several instances that highlight the binary thinking of the British. 
When the Anglican Church dissociated from the Roman Catholic Church, things 
became terrible for the adherents of Catholicism in Great Britain.
The Anglican Church combines elements from Catholic Church and 
Protestanism. The Protestant Calvinists in England called the Puritans, as they 
opposed the accommodation to Catholic practices. This was not appreciated in 
England by the King and the Church of England. Several stringent restrictions 
were enforced on them and the Puritans were persecuted. Eventually, they left 
Great Britain and migrated to the USA ready to face the unknown new world 
rather than live in persecution in England.
This persecution of Catholic and especially the harsh persecution of Puritan 
Protestant Christians reflects the binary thinking of the Colonial era British 
ruling class. They go against people or institutions that don’t adhere to their 
dictates. They automatically become ‘black.’
It was this very mindset that led the British to implement policies aimed at 
destabilizing the traditional education system in India during the nineteenth 
century. The British believed that the this traditional bharatiya educational 
system could undermine their control. As a result, they labeled it ‘backward’ and 
strategically replaced it with the Macaulay System of Education. Unfortunately, 
the Macaulay system continues to be followed in India even today.
In this regard, the most disturbing facet is that even the Indians educated under 
the Macaulay system have adopted the same binary thinking. They also lose no 
opportunity to belittle the ancient Indian education system. These ‘educated’ 
Indians are blinded by their ‘English education.’ They are so unwilling to 
recognize the value of India’s ancient education system. They think that it is just 
‘black.’
It can be said without hesitation that ‘Macaulay-educated’ Indians have not only 
continued to study the British inspired curriculum in schools and colleges, but 
they have also adopted the ‘British arrogance.’ ‘Humility’ is a concept foreign to 
these educated individuals, yet it was an essential aspect of our traditional 
education system.
The fact that these knowledgeable Indians enjoy professional success does not 
justify their biased attitude from binary thinking.
In addition, the products of Macaulay education need constant validation of 
westerners and have no spine of their own. If something is of Western origin, it 
is undoubtedly superior. 
In the same way, if a thing fails to receive the validation of any qualified 
Westerner, it carries no value. With this mindset, it’s unsurprising that they fail 
to see the great ideas that were part of Bharatiya education.
These educated folks point out that corruption in India has reached alarming 
levels. Little do they realize that the seeds of corruption, as we see it today, were 
sown almost two hundred years ago with the Macaulay system. Some of these 
misguided individuals even justify the British, citing concepts like ‘survival of 
the fittest.’ This, too, is a result of that English education, which promotes binary 
thinking.
It is not just the English-educated people living in India who stick to that 
erroneous viewpoint. An overwhelming majority of the Indian diaspora display 
the same kind of thinking despite their first hand exposure by living in western 
countries.
The binary thinking of the British colonists and the unfettered continuity of that 
system has lead to many defects in current India. Tragically, it has devalued 
India’s rich scientific, logical education system and cultural heritage. 
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