Intellectual curiosity would intensify learning process - CJ

Sarath Malalasekera

In ancient India and Sri Lanka kings and emperors thought it a privilege to sit at the feet of man of learning, Intellectuals and men of knowledge were given the highest honour in society. Unfortunately, in our time we have downgraded intellectuals and devalued the very word. Today an ‘intellectual’ means a man who is intelligent enough to know to which side his bread is buttered, said Chief Justice Asoka de Silva at the Law College Award ceremony held recently at the Law College auditorium.

Addressing the Law students who received awards, the Chief Justice said respect your teachers. They spend a good time with you to part their knowledge. Education has been called the technique of transmitting civilization.

In order that it may transmit civilization it has to perform two major functions, it must enlighten the understanding and it must enrich the character.

The two features of a truly educated man whose understanding has been enlightened are the capacity to think clearly and intellectual curiosity. Intellectual curiosity would enable the student to continue, to intensify the process of learning after he has come out of the comfortable cocoon of the Law College and thrown into the real practice of the law, the Chief Justice said.

The Chief Justice emphasised as regards those who have not been successful in their examinations as they thought they deserved to be, I can only recall the words of Professor Walter Raleigh the college final and the day of the Judgement are two different things.

They may also take some consolation from the fact the A.E. Houseman, the great scholar of Greek and Latin once failed in papers on those very language at Oxford University. One Richard who wrote the biography of Houseman commented that “Nightingale got no prize at the poultry show.”

“We must not forget our values. As Einstein observed that “it is essential that the student acquire an understanding of a and a lively feeling for values. If you do not know the values you will be like a trained dog.

Will do what is taught to do. These are pregnant words. They do not exaggerate the importance of a sense of values in your future life, the Chief Justice concluded.