My Second Nature
A mug bearing the logo and the name of "Hong Kong Philosophy Society" reminds me of my decades of on-and-off philosophical pursuit. I was the honorary Secretary of the Hong Kong Philosophy Society in the late 1980s. And I even named my elder son as "Plato" and my younger son "Zeno".
When I was in my teens, I liked to study English Literature but the fine writings did not exhibit clear messages. A classmate obsessed with certain philosophers would relate some of their thoughts that I found intellectually provocative. In 1976, when I succeeded in enrolling in London University's External Degree programme as an undergraduate in Philosophy, I tested my self-studying progress by sitting the Hong Kong University advanced level examinations in Philosophy.
Even before I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts honours degree in Philosophy in 1981, I could feel the practical impact of Philosophy in my career development. During highly competitive recruitment and scholarship selection interviews in 1980, the interviewers were anxious to question me what Philosophy was all about and why I was interested in it. I impressed them by making Philosophy simple with practical examples of logic and methodology, and by disclosing my life goal to acquire wisdom.
During my law studies from 1981 to 1987, I took a special interest in Jurisprudence or the Philosophy of Law, although my original thinking and independent system were not recognized. Later, I joined the Hong Kong Philosophy Society to play an active role to promote the love of wisdom. It has become my second nature to think broad and deep, to distinguish valid arguments from invalid ones and to have a good sense of justice!