Society Entering New Dark Age for Ideas and Discovery Warns Human Rights Commissioner
While people have more information available at a swipe of their fingertips, Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay says individuals have become afraid of engaging in different ideas and perspectives.
“In today’s world, I would say that the search for knowledge and truth is perhaps more important than at any time in human history,” she said. “We live in an age where we have more information available to us instantaneously than ever before, and yet, we live in an age where, I fear, we actually have less interest in ideas.
“We live in an age where we prioritise feelings over facts, where we search for affirmation rather than wisdom, and people are less willing to engage with different perspectives or to challenge themselves by engaging with difficult ideas.
“In this environment, having individuals and institutions who value ideas, who see education as the key to advancing the common good, and who are committed to seeking wisdom and truth is more important than ever before.”
Finlay delivered her address to the opening of The Professor Gabriël A. Moens Law Library at the Sheridan Institute of Higher Education in the city of Perth, Australia, attended by Mayor Basil Zempilas, students, and members of the legal profession.
Prof. Moens is a member of the Order of Australia, an emeritus professor of law at the University of Queensland, and a former dean at Murdoch University.
Finlay praised Moens and said the new library embodied many qualities, including a “love of ideas, a belief in the importance of knowledge, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
“We live in an age of smartphones and search engines. And in this era, there are many people, and I’m ashamed to say many lawyers, who perhaps think that libraries and even law libraries are relics of the past.
“That they’re no longer needed because we have information at our fingertips. This is a grave mistake,” she said.
“In my view, libraries not only play a vastly underappreciated role in our communities. But even more importantly, libraries within educational institutions sit at the very heart of any place that wants to put the search for knowledge at the centre of its reason for being.”
The Importance of Values
Mayor Zempilas said he felt “at home” in the Institute.
“I feel at home because of the great qualities I’ve seen in the people in the room. The great qualities that this institution stands for. Higher education is something that is very important to our community, as is a sense of family, and I see that around me,” he said.
“Our values, which we should never forget, are important. It is important for us all to do the right thing, to use common sense, and not to allow common sense to be beaten or defeated. It doesn’t need to be much more complicated than that,” he added.
Professor Philip Evans of the University of Notre Dame Australia emphasised the importance of embracing print material over digitisation.
“Print books are easier on the eyes. Considering that many tasks require us to stare at a computer screen all day,” he said. “Electronic books can cause screen fatigue, blurred vision, redness, dryness, and irritation.”
“With print books, you’re less likely to get more distracted. Not surprisingly, people who read ebooks and information from computer screens tend to get sidetracked more easily.”
Evans also added that Australia needed a “different type” of law school.
“Where pastoral care is not just words on a mission statement, but it’s the foundation of the law school.
“Where the elective units not only … reflect contemporary legal issues and specialties, but also … moral issues in such a way as to prioritise those ends that are worth pursuing—together with the rights and obligations that ought to govern human conduct in a Christian context,” he said.
Mark Hutchison contributed to this article.
