‘From Galkissa to Tambuttegama’: A response
by Sena Thoradeniya I Refer to the article published under the above title in The Island of 14 Sept. It was written by Dr. Uswatte-aratchi, whose insights into art, literature, and culture have long resonated with mine. In those domains, we have shared similar views; yet in matters of political theory, political leadership, and governance, […]
The article published in The Island on September 14th, written by Dr. Uswatte-aratchi, has sparked a response. The writer, who shares similar views with Dr. Uswatte in art, literature, and culture, diverges in political theory, leadership, and governance. The writer declines to discuss the entirety of Dr. Uswatte's article, acknowledging his right to criticize politicians, even publicly.
The writer's focus is Dr. Uswatte's assertion of his mathematical and scientific knowledge, attributing it to a President who, in public, shows no apparent intellectual prowess. The President, states Dr. Uswatte, can differentiate equations, discuss quantum physics, and speak about Comte and Lévi-Strauss. The writer finds this attribution absurd, as there is no evidence of scholarly depth or understanding in the President's record.
The writer also questions Dr. Uswatte's assertion about the Prime Minister's proficiency in sociology, referring to Comte and Lévi-Strauss. The writer, lacking knowledge in physics and mathematics, seeks answers from AI, discovering the significant contributions of Paul Dirac and Peter Higgs, two renowned physicists. Dirac, an English physicist, established quantum mechanics, co-founded quantum electrodynamics, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933.
Higgs, a British theoretical physicist, discovered the Higgs boson in 2012, explaining how particles acquire mass, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013. The writer argues that attributing such profound knowledge to ordinary scientists decades after their graduation is implausible, akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
The writer urges Dr. Uswatte to listen to the President's speeches and assess the public's reaction, emphasizing that theory without reality has no value.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
