RE-ENGINEERING LEGAL EDUCATION AND THE BAR EXAMINATION

A RADICAL PARADIGM SHIFT

SCOPE OF PRESENTATION

oA systems and integrated approachowhich looks at legal education as a continuum

- from preparation for the study of law- up to the development of a truly creative sector of the

law whose intellectual output could influencelegislation and jurisprudence

oA complete turn-around- from the traditional concepts of legal education as well

as the Bar Examination- to something that is truly revolutionary

THE LEGAL EDUCATION SUMMIT

❑ A stockholders’ meeting

❑ called for the purpose of

- addressing perceived or actual inefficiencies

- in the current lawyer manufacturing model

THE PRESENT LAWYER MANUFACTURING MODEL

o A basic process system which produces a

two (2) variant product basic model

o an intermediate process that produces a

single intermediate product model, and

o an advance process that produces an

advance product model

FLOW CHART: THE PRESENT BASIC PROCESS FOR THE LAWYER MANUFACTURING MODEL

Raw materials

• Any degree• 18 units, etc.

• PhiLSAT

• others

Factory

• Curriculum

• Law profs

• Law Deans

Output

• JD non-thesis

• JD thesis

Continuation ……..

Quality control

• Bar examination

Product

• Lawyer

Maintenance

• MCLE

FLOW CHART: THE PRESENT INTERMEDIATE PROCESS FOR THE LAWYER MANUFACTURING MODEL

Raw materials

• J.D.

• No experience

Factory

• Curriculum

• Separate Dean

Output

• LLM

FLOW CHART: THE PRESENT ADVANCE PROCESS FOR THE LAWYER MANUFACTURING MODEL

Raw material

• LLM

Factory

• Curriculum

• Same Dean as LLM

Output

• D.C.L.

• S.J.D.

THE CURRENT STATUS OF LEGAL EDUCATION▪Total number of existing law schools as of end 2018 125

- with government recognition from LEB 114

- down graded to permit status because of deficiencies 3

- under phase out status because of serious deficiencies 7

▪Bar performance of law schools for the period 2014-2018

- with above 38.86% passing % for 1st time takers 30

- with zero to 10% passing % for 1st time takers 61

- with zero passing % for 1st time takers 41

Continuation …..

▪Percentage contribution of schools to total passers for the period 2014-2018

- no. of schools that contributed 50% of the total passers 10 or 8% of all schools

- no. of schools that contributed 67% of the total passers 20 or 16% of all schools

The remaining 84% of all schools contributed only 33% to total passers

THE PRESENT MANUFACTURING MODEL IS NOT ABLE TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE MARKET

CONTRIBUTING TO A CERTAIN EXTENT TO COURT CONGESTION THEREBY LIMITING ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND IMPEDING ACCESS TO JUSTICE OF CERTAIN MARGINALIZED SECTORS OF SOCIETY

▪ No. of registered lawyers from 1946 up to end 2018

73,711

▪ No. of lawyers registered from 1965 up to end 2018

53,712

1964 was used as the bench mark because a 22 year old lawyer in 1964 is now 77 years old in 2019

▪ Estimated no. of practicing lawyers as of end 2018

Not all of the 53,712 are engaged in practice of law. Some have died, a great number are in government, others are in commerce and industry, a few have migrated abroad, are disbarred or even in jail or are not practicing for different reasons. Assuming that 25% of the 53,712 are not engaged in the active practice of law then there are only about 40,284 practicing lawyers to serve 110 million Filipinos or a ratio of 1 lawyer serving 27,306 persons. This distribution is even lopsided if we consider that almost all lawyers are practicing within the populous metro areas.

PRESENT ESTIMATED PRACTICING LAWYERS IN RELATION TO NO. OF LAW SCHOOLS AND TOTAL FILIPINO POPULATION OF 110 MILLION

108Law Schools as of December 31, 2018

40,284Estimated practicing lawyers

as of end 2018

1 LAW SCHOOL: 373 LAWYERS 1 LAWYER: 27,306 PERSONS

STOCKHOLDERS’ COMPLAINT: Too much raw material rejects

27.47% of Law Students reach their Second Year

in 2016

11.14% of Law Students reach their Second Year

in 2017

12.08% of Law Students reach their Second Year in

2018

2016 2017 2018

STEPS TAKEN IN THE PAST TO CORRECT THE INEFFICIENCIES OF THE MANUFACTURING MODEL▪ The length of the preparatory law course was increased from two (2) years to four

(4) years

▪ The subject matter content of the Bar examination was changed - International Law was merged into Political Law - Land Registration was merged into Civil Law - Taxation and Labor Law were added

▪ A Model Curriculum was crafted and implemented

▪ MCQ type of questions were introduced

▪ A refresher course was required of Bar flunkers

▪ PhiLSAT. It is too early to determine whether the PhiLSAT impacts Bar performance

PROPOSED ADDITIONAL ANALYTICAL PROCESS TO EVOLVE A MANNER FOR THE DETERMINATION AND CORRECTION OF THE INEFFICIENCIES

▪ The systems approach - System a set of interrelated parts that must work together. - In the case of legal education and the Bar examination, the organization for

legal education and the Bar examination is viewed as a system composed of subsystems (e.g. the law school, the Bar Examination Committee, the Legal Education Board, the Commission on Higher Education, the Supreme Court) which in turn are composed of lower subsystems such as the preparatory law system, the law proper system, the Bar examination system, the advance legal education system).

▪ Description of a lawyer. “A lawyer is an ethical and cultured person who is empowered, after the requisite licensure examination, to give legal advice, prepare legal documents, and appear before courts because he knows the law, how to apply it to given problem situations using the available applicable technology in order to serve the ends of justice whether in the domestic or international milieu.”

Continuation ……….

▪ Specific tools for analysis --- Pareto principle or priority recognition analysis.The principle makes reference to the

concept of the “significant few.” Some things (a few) will be very important in achieving an objective or solving a problem, and other things (the many) will not

- Sensitivity analysis. This method tests how sensitive a given solution is to a change in one or more of the parameters (i.e., the “numbers”) taken as givens in a problem. As applied to the analysis of our problem we could explore how certain changes might affect a solution

- Simple version of data analytics. Data analytics is the “high fallutin” term used to describe the process of examining data sets in order to draw conclusions about the information they contain. Data analytics can be separated into quantitative data analysis and qualitative data analysis. The former involves analysis of numerical data with quantifiable variables that can be compared or measured statistically.

o The qualitative approach is more interpretative -- it focuses on understanding the content of non-numerical data like text, images, common phrases, and points of view of justices in their decisions, etc.

o More advanced types of data analytics include data mining, which involves sorting through large data sets to identify trends, patterns and relationships; predictive analytics, which seeks to predict decisions of courts, student behavior, and other future events; and machine learning, an artificial intelligence technique that uses automated algorithms to churn through data sets more quickly than data scientists data can do via conventional analytical modeling. Big data analytics applies data mining, predictive analytics and machine learning tools to sets of big data that often contain unstructured and semi-structured data. Text mining provides a means of analyzing documents, etc.,and other text-based content such as decisions, opinions, etc.

PROPOSED RADICAL PARADIGM SHIFTLEGAL EDUCATION IS A CONTINUUM FROM PREPARATION FOR THE STUDY OF LAW UP TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CREATIVE SECTOR OF THE LAW WHOSE INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT COULD INFLUENCE LEGISLATION AND JURISPRUDENCE

❑ Basic process system which

produces a two (2) variant

product basic model

❑ Intermediate process that

produces a single

intermediate product model

❑ Advance process that

produces two advanced

models

THE OUTPUTS OF THE PROPOSED RADICAL MANUFACTURING MODEL▪ Basic Manufacturing Process produces two basic variants

- Pre-Law graduate who is qualified to enter Law School, or be part of the support service sector

for the legal and judicial system

- Counsellor at law who could practice before the 1st and 2nd level courts (except Sharia courts),

and selected administrative bodies

▪ Intermediate Manufacturing Process produces a single two variant model (J.D. non-thesis and

J.D. thesis)/ attorney at law

▪ Advance Manufacturing Process produces two models

- Master of Laws with specialization and a non-Bar masteral program for professionals in other

disciplines

- Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.), Doctor of Juridical Sciences (S.J.D.), or some other title

BASIC MODEL: GRADUATE OF A PROPOSED FOUR (4) YEAR PREPARATORY LAW COURSE▪ MAIN OBJECTIVE of the proposed four (4) year preparatory law program is to develop an

aptitude for law studies.

▪ The SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES are:

- To develop the student as a whole man steeped in liberal arts (aesthetics: music, painting, literature, general history, general philosophy, mathematics, logic (mathematical and literary), general ethics, psychology, etc.);

-To develop the general skills that a lawyer needs in the practice of his profession (appropriate methods of conflict resolution, written and oral communication skills (English and one regional dialect), the general parameters of practice of law, gender sensitivity, the use of technology, etc.

- To develop specific basic lawyer skills (introduction to law and procedure, organization and jurisdiction of courts, administrative processes, schools of jurisprudence, legal research, legal history, basic legal forms, etc.).

The program should include legal clinics and other methods of experiential learning with the courts, the prosecutor’s offices, police precincts, government offices tasked with giving permits and licenses, etc.

WHY LIBERAL EDUCATION ?▪ Liberal education and its role in the general study of law.

- The liberally educated man has a mind that can operate well in all fields. - He may be a specialist in one field. But he can understand anything

important that is said in any field and can see and use the light that it sheds on his own.

- The liberally educated man is at home in the world of ideas and in the world of practical affairs, too, because he understands the relation of the two.

▪ In the practice of law a lawyer may be advocating or defending cases involving the push and pull of rights and obligations involving business organizations such as corporations, etc., the practice of the other professions such as engineering, medicine, accounting., etc., and other similar controversies involving diverse fields of human activity.

- It is thus imperative that a lawyer must first of all be a liberally educated man who is aware of the interrelationships between diverse subjects.

General skills that a lawyer needs

▪Problem Solving Abilities

▪Symptomatic Reading

▪Writing Skills

▪Conversation/ Articulation Abilities

▪General Investigation/Research Skills

▪Organization / Management Skills

▪Good Time Management Skills

▪Methods of out of court dispute resolution

▪Technology used in law practice

Specific basic lawyer skills

▪ Introduction to law and procedure

▪Organization and jurisdiction of courts

▪Administrative processes

▪Schools of jurisprudence

▪ Legal research

▪ Legal English

▪ Legal history

▪Basic legal forms, etc.

▪Briefing a case

▪Code of Professional Responsibility

EMPOWERMENT OF A PRE-LAW GRADUATE

After finishing the four (4) year program the student should be able:

▪ To determine whether he would like to pursue further legal studies;

▪ To be able to relate the legal knowledge he acquired in preparatory law relative to the practice of law if he decides to enter law school

▪ To have the necessary tools to participate as part of the support system in the administration of justice (short of practicing law): he could act as a paralegal, legal aid, legal researcher, mediator, voluntary arbitrator, etc.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) could create a specific job level for the type of skills required by courts (other than those constituting practice of law) and conduct an examination for this. Bar flunkers could qualify to take this examination.

PROPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE PREPARATORY LAW COURSE▪ THE PRE-LAW COURSE CURRICULUM. A panel composed of multi-disciplinary experts

in curriculum development should be constituted to devise a pre-law curriculum that meets the main objective of the proposed four (4) year preparatory law program which is to develop an aptitude for law studies. The specific objectives of the program should likewise be addressed by the pre-law curriculum.

▪ THE METHOD OF INSTRUCTION IN THE PREPARATORY LAW PROGRAM. It is proposed that at the pre-law level the method of instruction should be the same as that in the school of law proper. This is usually the Socratic method and the Langdell case method. The pre-law student should also be exposed to legal clinics and other methods of experiential learning.

▪ THE PREPARATORY LAW ADMINISTRATION. The preparatory law program should be under the School of Law administered by the Dean. It should not be under any other department because the law program is deemed to include the preparatory law program. This is under the theory that law education is a continuum from pre-law to the completion of studies that would qualify a person to take the Bar examination and be admitted to the practice of law. It likewise extends to all studies that are directly related to the law such as graduate education in law, and the provision of law studies for those who do not intend to practice law.

BASIC MODEL WITH ENHANCEMENTS

▪ THE BASIC PROCESS produces a basic product model with enhancements (counsellor-at-law).

- A two (2) year law proper curriculum with concentration on Human Rights, marginalized people’s rights, criminal law, labor law and the procedures attendant to the actions brought in relation to the above subjects. This should prepare the student for the general practice of law in the above subjects.

▪ The requirements for entry to the school of law should include the proposed pre-law course or graduates of other disciplines provided they have completed the clinical or experiential exposure required of pre-law graduates, and such other reasonable requirements as the law school may impose. The PhiLSAT should not be required anymore.

▪ One who finishes the basic model with enhancements may take the first tier Bar examination. If he passes already qualified for limited practice of law, as a counsellor at law, in all first level and second level courts (except the Sharia courts), as well before administrative bodies. The practice should be limited only to Human Rights, marginalized people’s rights, criminal law, labor law, and related areas.

Continuation ……

▪ THE LAW CURRICULUM FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS LAW PROPER. The process to be undertaken should include enhancements to the basic product model.

-There is a marked need for the enhanced model if we consider that the areas where the marginalized sectors of society are generally under represented are human rights practice, criminal law practice, labor law practice, securing basic permits and licenses, etc.

-Thus, the first year subjects should cover detailed discussion of the laws and procedures attendant to the foregoing subjects, including rules on evidence and procedure, constitutional and statutory rights of the accused, etc.

- After the first year law proper, the law student could then effectively and meaningfully engage in student practice of law under Rule 138-A of the Rules of Court with a Level 1 Certification.

▪ During the 2nd year there should be offered other subjects related to human rights practice, criminal law practice, labor law practice, securing basic permits and licenses, etc.

▪ The proper sequencing of the subjects should be determined by a committee composed of experts in curriculum development with the participation of the stakeholders in legal education

INTERMEDIATE PROCESS▪ Produces an intermediate product model (Juris Doctor/attorney-at-law).

▪ Only those who have the intellectual capability, patience and dedication should proceed to the 3rd year and 4th year levels of the law proper studies which should cover the other aspects of the law other than Criminal Law, Human Rights and Labor Law. This program should prepare the student for the general practice of law for all areas of the law such as civil law, commercial law, political law, taxation, etc.

▪ The requirements for entry to the intermediate process should include passing the Bar examination for counsellors-at-law, and such other requirements as the law school may impose.

▪ The Law Curriculum for the 3rd and 4th years of law proper. The general subjects of Civil Law, Commercial Law, Political Law, Taxation, Remedial Law, International Law, Comparative Legal Systems, etc. The 4th year Review Subjects should be eliminated and replaced with other subjects to be determined by a committee of experts in curriculum development with the participation of the stakeholders in legal education. There should be no specialization yet at this stage because this would limit the employment opportunities of the attorney at law.

▪ Completion of the program qualifies the graduate to take the second tier Bar examination for attorneys at law licensed to engage in the general practice of law before all court levels (except Sharia courts), and all administrative bodies.

QUALITY STANDARD: THE BAR EXAMS▪ A QUALITY CONTROL STANDARD: A two tier Bar Examination. The first tier is administered to

students who have finished the first two years of law which would license them, as counsellors of law, to engage in limited practice law in the areas of Criminal Law, Human Rights and Labor Law before first and second level courts (except Sharia courts) and selected administrative bodies.

▪ The second tier is administered to students who have finished the 3rd and 4th years of law which would license them, as attorneys at law, to engage in general practice law in all areas before all court levels (except Sharia courts) and all administrative bodies.

1. The Bar Questions. It is proposed that B.M. No. 1161 should be revisited which provides for the nature of the Bar Questions: 40% MCQ and 60% Essay. However it is suggested that the 40% MCQ should be a qualification test such that if less than 15% of the 40% is correct then the student is considered failed and not allowed to proceed to the essay test anymore.

2. Regional Bar Examination for the qualificational MCQ Bar examination and Manila site for the essay portion of the Bar examination for both the first tier and second tier Bar examinations. It may be possible to hold the MCQ qualification test in the regions depending upon the number of examinees. There is a large pool of proctors that are available who are experienced in the conduct of MCQ examination type. This is so because the civil examinations as well as the different licensure examinations being conducted by the various regulatory licensing boards of the Professional Regulation Commission are administered on a regional basis.

Continuation ………

3. Correction of the answers, the unscorable items. The answers to the Bar questions have always been using the raw score as the basis for grading. This need not be so.

▪ Psychometricians use a concept known as test validity which refers to how well a test measures what it intends to measure. Establishing the validity of a test begins at the test design stage and may extend up to well after test administration.

▪ Unscorable items are those with poor discrimination (i.e., discrimination index of 10 and below) and those that are too easy (i.e., difficulty index of 95 and above) or too difficult (i.e., difficulty index of 10 and below)

▪ The exclusion of unscorable items from the computation of subtest or total scores increases the reliability of the instrument, and theoretically its validity, given that test reliability is a requirement for validity.

▪ Since the subject of tests and measurements is a highly technical subject it is suggested that the Supreme Court engages the services of a licensed psychometrician to give advice on the crafting of questions for the Bar Examination, and the scoring of the answers, to ensure the validity of the examination.

ADVANCE PROCESS▪ ADVANCE PROCESS that produces law specialists and experts as well as

a pool of non-Bar professionals. A minimum of two years masteral in law program specializing in specific areas of the law is suggested. The completion of this program may be a minimum requirement for admission to professional specialized law societies. The process also produces professionals in other disciplines with a knowledge of the law which they could use in the exercise of their respective professions, short of practicing law.

▪ The process is also intended to produce an advanced degree in law to be referred to as D.C.L., S.J.D. or some other nomenclature. The pool of D.C.Ls., and S.J.Ds. would be source of creative thought which could be the basis for legislation or jurisprudence

▪ Entry to the masteral program for specialization should include two years practice of law experience, either on a generalized or particular subject level, and such other reasonable requirements as the law school may impose. Professionals in other disciplines who want training in law could also finish the masteral program. The program would not qualify them to practice law, but would provide them with enough legal knowledge to apply to the practice of their respective professions. Entry to this type of masteral program would require a basic bachelor’s degree and compliance with the school of law’s reasonable requirements for entry into the program.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED PREPARATORY LAW

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED RADICAL SHIFT

1. Entrants to the Schools of Law would be better prepared for the rigors of law education resulting in lesser drop-outs after the first year law proper.

2. The Preparatory Law graduate would not suffer a culture shock upon entry to the school of law because he/she would have been exposed during the Pre-Law to methods of instruction, manner of conduct of recitation, and the environment in the school of law.

3. There would be no need for a law school qualification test (PhiLSAT) that merely tests the aptitude for law studies. Completion of the pre-law course would develop and enhance the aptitude for law studies.

4. A Level 1 Certified Law Student Practitioner under Rule 138-A, Law Student Practice would be able to perform more efficiently because he is already equipped with basic skills.

5. The deficiencies resulting from the reduction in the bachelor’s degree of English subjects, social sciences, Filipino and regional dialects after the K +12 program would be remedied.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED PREPARATORY LAW

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED RADICAL SHIFT

6. Law Schools would have additional revenues derived from the Preparatory Law studies.

7. A law school’s resources need not be unduly strained considering that the qualifications to teach Pre-Law subjects are not as stringent as those required for those teaching law subjects in the law proper.

8. If the student does not intend or is not able to proceed to law school he could already be qualified for gainful employment whether in the public or private sector in areas involving the law.

9. There would be created a pool of legal service support services which do not exist at the present.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED 1st AND 2nd YEARS OF LAW PROPER AND THE FIRST TIER BAR EXAMINATION

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED RADICAL SHIFT

1. This program would meet the objectives of some individuals, such as those in the military or police service, who are interested only in the limited practice of law (human rights, criminal law, etc.) or those in the private sector who are interested only in labor laws, etc.

2. The proposal would ease court congestion caused by lack of lawyers.

3. Implementation of the proposal would result to better access to the justice system in geographical areas where is a paucity of lawyers because there would more Bar passers due to the limited number of Bar subjects.

4. The proposal would address the problem of under representation of the poor, marginalized, deprived, and oppressed sectors of society who do not qualify for representation by the Public Attorney’s Office in the areas of criminal and labor law. This is specially true when we consider the delimitation on who could be represented by the PAO.

5. The Supreme Court resolution on speedy trial in criminal cases would require the services of more lawyers.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED 1st AND 2nd YEARS OF LAW PROPER AND THE FIRST TIER BAR EXAMINATION

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED RADICAL SHIFT

6. There would be lesser Bar flunkers because of the limited number of Bar subjects and the Bar results may even be released much earlier than the present release.

7. The proposal is economically less burdensome because a person could already engage in limited practice of law after seven (7) years of legal studies (including waiting for the Bar Examination Results) instead of the present system where a person has to wait for a period of about nine (9) years (including waiting for the Bar Examination Results) before he could practice law.

8. Bar flunkers in previous Bar Examinations may be rehabilitated as they may, subject to certain conditions, be allowed to take the first tier Examination thereby making them useful to society.

9. Legal training would be enhanced if passing the first tier Bar examination for counsellors at law would be a prerequisite for admission to the 3rd year law proper.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED 3rd AND 4th YEARS OF LAW PROPER AND THE SECOND TIER BAR EXAMINATION

ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED RADICAL SHIFT

1. There would be more professional subjects to be covered considering that the 4th year review subjects are going to be eliminated.

2. There would be an intensive preparation for the practice of law because more hours are available for Level 2 Certified Law Student Practitioners under Rule 138-A, Law Student Practice which enable them to efficiently perform their functions.

3. The student would have a better perspective about general court procedures because he would already be practicing as a counsellor at law.

4. There may be fewer Bar flunkers because of the limited subjects and the thorough undergraduate law preparation.

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE LEGAL EDUCATION BOARD (LEB) and REP. ACT No. 7662

• Regulation of legal education is lodged with the Legal Education Board

(LEB). There is no intrusion by Congress into the constitutionally reserved

powers of the Supreme Court when it enacted Rep. Act No. 7662. The Court

once said that

“The legislature may, by means of repeal, amendment or supplemental rules, fill up

any deficiency that it may find, and the judicial power, which has the inherent

responsibility for a good and efficient administration of justice and the supervision of the

practice of the legal profession, should consider these reforms as the minimum

standards for the elevation of the profession, and see to it that with these reforms

the lofty objective that is desired in the exercise of its traditional duty of admitting,

suspending, disbarring and reinstating attorneys at law is realized” [In re:Cunanan, 94

Phil. 534 (1954)]

• The lack of applicants for vacant positions in the LEB as well as the delayin the processing of appointments by the Office of the President resulted

Continuation …..

• to hold-over of LEB Members with expired term of office.

• The powers of LEB are not derived from the Commission on Higher

Education (CHED) but emanate from Rep. Act No. 7662

• The concept of academic freedom is not absolute but may be subject to reasonable regulation

SUMMARY▪ A real preparatory law course would prepare students for the study of law.

▪ The split law curriculum and the two tier Bar examination would correct the

present imbalance of lawyer/client ratio

▪ the advance law courses would

- develop specialists in the different areas of the law, and

- provide an avenue for those interested in the law from the non-Bar point of

view to develop legal skills.

▪ Finally, the under represented in certain areas of law (human rights,

marginalized people’s rights, criminal law and labor law) would have more

opportunities for access to the justice system.

CONCLUSION

▪ Reforms in legal education and the Bar Examination

- should not be cosmetic changes only

- but should result to radical changes in the whole spectrum of legal

education and the Bar examination.

▪ The proposed radical paradigm shift should be given a second look and

further developed,

- else legal education and the Bar Examination, as well as the delivery of

justice under the aegis of the rule of law

- would remain in its present zombie-like state of the living dead.

▪ The proposal intends to supplement not to supplant the findings of the

summit

THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT

▪ “The parable implies that one's subjective experience can be true, but that such experience is inherently limited by its failure to account for other truths or a totality of truth.”

▪ “At various times the parable has provided insight into the relativism, opaqueness or inexpressible nature of truth, the behavior of experts in fields of contradicting theories, the need for deeper understanding, and respect for different perspectives on the same object of observation.”

▪ “The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true.”

THE ELEPHANT JOKE

▪ “Six blind elephants were discussing what men were like. After arguing they decided to find one and determine what it was like by direct experience. The first blind elephant felt the man and declared, 'Men are flat.' After the other blind elephants felt the man on the same place, they agreed” .

▪ The lesson learned from the joke is that, “We have to remember that what we observe is not nature in itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”

Finally, let us not push David (clad only in sheep’s skin, without a slingshot and a pebble) to confront Goliath.

Thank you very much and …..