Society vulnerable to authoritarianism if it accepts unverified claims, says Justice Bhuyan
Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan stated that a lack of inquiry and scientific temper leaves society defenseless against misinformation.
Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said on Saturday that a society accepting claims without evidence and fearing questions becomes vulnerable to authoritarianism, according to The Hindu.
Addressing an event at the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, the judge said such societies fail to reform unjust practices and become defenseless against misinformation.
Justice Bhuyan stated that building a scientific temper, as enshrined in Article 51A of the Constitution, should extend beyond laboratories to the rational thinking of youths and students.
He said the capacity to think rationally requires an attitude of inquiry and openness to examination, noting that this germination must take place in universities.
The judge remarked that students should acquire the habit of inquiry to see through misinformation and protect the mind from prejudice.
Justice Bhuyan also described the binary of 'us' and 'they' as a destructive tendency and suggested shifting the narrative to the 'we' of the Preamble to the Constitution of India.