திருக்குறளில் கல்வி பற்றிய ஒரு மூளைநரம்பியல் ஆய்வு

The Neuroscience of Learning: An Investigation into the Educational Wisdom of the Thirukkural

Abstract

This study examines the concepts of education found in the Thirukkural, a text over two thousand years old, from the perspective of modern neuroscience. Valluvar emphasized the importance of education by dedicating a specific chapter (40) to 'Education' ('Kalvi'). The purpose of this research is to explain how the fundamental processes of learning, teaching, discipline, and skill development align with the functions of the human brain. During learning, the formation of new neural connections (synapses), the creation of new tissues (neurogenesis), and the brain's ability to reconfigure itself based on experience (neuroplasticity) are what develop a person into an expert in a specific field. The method of "flawless learning" (kasadara katral) described in the Thirukkural is deeply connected to higher-order cognitive functions, planning, and decision-making that occur in the brain's Prefrontal Cortex. Furthermore, the functions of the Hippocampus (which stores new information in memory), Mirror Neurons (which help in learning social behaviors by observing others), and the Amygdala (responsible for emotional memories) confirm the neurological basis for the education, discipline, and social learning mentioned by Valluvar. Therefore, this study establishes that Valluvar's thoughts on education are not merely ethical principles but a timeless repository of profound scientific truths that correspond with the human brain's processes of learning and development.