Arise, Awake, and Ask Why: Cultivating the Spirit of Inquiry ❤️

Scientific Temper or Sleepwalker? The Choice is…

#newspaperinlearning

This morning, while reading through the day’s newspapers, over my double-strong espresso, 😊I came across a highly insightful news report in the The Hindu and The Times of India on the recent Convocation Address at the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya, delivered by Justice Ujjal Bhuyan.

His convocation address intrigued me for two key reasons.

Firstly, his exhortation to society to face questions rather than fear them. As he rightly noted,

“A society that fears questions becomes vulnerable to authoritarianism. A society that treats tradition as beyond scrutiny may fail to reform unjust practices.”

Secondly, his strong advocacy for a ‘scientific temper’. Highlighting Article 51A of the Constitution, which casts a duty on every citizen to develop a scientific temperament, Justice Bhuyan says –

I believe scientific temperament lays the foundation for the rule of law. This has to take place in the University. This is because arbitrary power thrives on ignorance, fear, and unexamined belief. A society that accepts claims without evidence is susceptible to superstitious beliefs and becomes vulnerable to misinformation.

In fact, these observations by Justice Bhuya beautifully echo the aspirations of millions of teachers and parents. 

So what exactly is a scientific temper and spirit of inquiry in everyday life?

At its core, it is the habit of asking “why?” and demanding proof before accepting a claim. When we continuously train our minds to look for evidence, we are applying the principles of this scientific temper.

I see this regularly while evaluating my students' answer sheets. Recently, I noticed a few students relying on vague generalisations without offering any textual evidence. I had to leave a remark –

Vague generalisations do not merit the academic spirit or the spirit of intellectual inquiry!

In fact, the academic spirit is simply a branch office of the scientific spirit - it demands evidence for all your claims within a logical, coherent structure.

For example, a student of mine had written, “John Donne is known for his metaphysical conceits. He was also known for his abrupt opening lines, and his wit…”.

Without examples (evidence supporting the claim) from Donne’s poems, these are just sweeping statements and vague generalisations.

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating”, and similarly, the proof of reading a text shows in how you use evidence to back your claims.

The academic spirit, much akin to the scientific one, simply does not trust unverified assumptions.

Coming back to Justice Bhuyan’s address, we can see why this mindset is very much the need of the hour today.

Imagine receiving a classic “WhatsApp University” forward claiming, ‘Tomorrow is a holiday for schools and colleges.’

Well, without a scientific mindset, you might react purely out of emotion or blind belief. A society with a scientific temper, however, pauses to ask for evidence and verify the source.

And that exactly is the scientific temper at work! 

This is exactly what the great Socrates advocated almost 24 centuries ago. He compares himself to a gadfly stinging a sluggish horse, because he believed it was his civic duty to disturb the complacent citizens of Athens, waking them from their slumber of ignorance and urging them to cultivate a questioning mind.

He once famously remarked that a human life without the scientific temper (rational enquiry) is reduced to the level of a sleepwalker.

This philosophy aligns perfectly with Swami Vivekananda’s famous exhortation –

“Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.”

To arise then, is to shake off our lethargy;

To awake is to break free from the slumber of ignorance and limiting beliefs!

And to stop not is a call for commitment, resisting the pull of smaller desires and distractions along the way!

Scientific temper or sleepwalker? The difference is like chalk and cheese.

I’m sure that this spirit of inquiry is the greatest takeaway that Justice Bhuyan has passed on to the graduating students.

You can watch the full Convocation Address by Justic Bhuyan [HERE].

PS: You may also want to read our past blog post on ‘The Unexamined Life’ from seven years ago, [HERE] on our blog.