On Scholarship

The first principle of scholarship is to address the needs of the people, and to seek solutions to the problems disrupting society. This requires an ever–deeper understanding of the present condition of the world, and a longing desire to contribute to the alleviation of its ills.

Any study that ignores this principle, even if it be carried out in strict obedience to all the established procedures and traditions current among academic circles, will only add to an already overwhelming profusion of works that begin in words and end in words, and whose only function is to collect the dust of oblivion on some forgotten bookstand.

In the light of this principle, true eloquence is not to be found in the use of esoteric phrases that only a privileged few can decipher, but rather in the ability to communicate effectively to the masses insights that will have a direct, enduring impact on their lives.

(January 1985)