Acharya Prashant explains that the materialistic approach of developed nations is not inherently wrong, but rather incomplete. Drawing from Vedanta and the Upanishads, he clarifies that education must consist of two essential components: material knowledge (Apara-vidya) and inner knowledge (Para-vidya). He emphasizes that ignoring material advancement leads to suffering and vulnerability, noting that India historically suffered because it did not pay adequate attention to material and technological strength. According to the Upanishads, the lack of worldly knowledge can lead to a worse state than the lack of spiritual knowledge, as it makes one susceptible to external enslavement and superstition. Acharya Prashant further argues that while the West has achieved material success, it is currently suffering due to a lack of inner education. This imbalance has resulted in global crises, such as the climate crisis, because individuals without self-knowledge become slaves to their own internal tendencies and desires. He asserts that true freedom requires being both materially strong and spiritually grounded. Without understanding the self, one's own thoughts and emotions become their masters, leading to a different form of slavery. To address these challenges, Acharya Prashant suggests that educational institutions must integrate both fields. While maintaining state-of-the-art technical facilities and research, institutions should also establish rich humanities departments. He advocates for students in professional courses to be exposed to Indian philosophy, psychology, and the fundamental questions of identity and values. By combining the best of material science with the wisdom of the self, a society can avoid the mistakes of the past and ensure that individuals are neither enslaved by external forces nor by their own internal impulses.