Social Engineering and The Law - A Response To The Deepika Udagama Interview
Chandana Liyanapatabendy
Social Engineering and The Law — A Response To The Deepika Udagama Interview
Understanding the social dynamics that impact the law is therefore essential. Law is a living institution that evolves in concert with the societies it regulates.
by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne
November 25, 2025
4 mins read
A representational image [Chad Greiter/Unsplash]
The law is reason, free from passion – Aristotle
I read with interest the interview conducted by Nilantha Ilangamuwa with Professor Deepika Udagama, which appeared in this newspaper on 23 November. It was both informative and relevant to the modern context. In particular, I noted Professor Udagama‘s reference to early legal educators such as Professor R.K.W. Gunasekera and the solid foundation of legal knowledge established by them in Sri Lanka.
I was struck by her analysis of the current context, including her reference to Dean Pound’s “social engineering and the law” in the perspective of which she said inter alia “ A legal professional must be very knowledgeable, be steeped in the ethical and humanistic foundations of the law, and understand the social dynamics that impact the law. Today, the popular view of a legal professional is that of a combative personality like a warrior who can spar and come out a winner in the adversarial process in courts of law and, of course, charge prohibitive fees. That’s a very limiting and damaging view that is at odds with the noble nature of the legal profession”
Here’s my take., written in total agreement with Professor Udagama’s views.
A legal professional must be far more than a gladiator trained to win battles in a courtroom. The law demands of its practitioners a depth of knowledge, a richness of ethical understanding, and a sensitivity to the social and human forces that shape the world in which law operates. The prevailing caricature — the lawyer as a combative figure who thrives in adversarial combat and charges exorbitant fees for the privilege of aggression — is a profoundly impoverished interpretation of what the profession is meant to embody. It obscures the significant moral architecture that underlies legal reasoning and the noble purpose that law is intended to serve.
To say that a lawyer must be “knowledgeable” is to imply much more than proficiency in statutes and precedents. Knowledge in the legal vocation is inseparable from the cultivation of moral imagination. It requires an understanding that law is not merely a technical apparatus but an ethical undertaking. One of the enduring truths embedded in legal philosophy is that human dignity is an international concept: the inherent dignity of all members of the human family, the foundation of freedom, justice and peace. Law does not exist in isolation from those it serves; it is grounded in the recognition of a universal moral worth. A legal professional who grasps this truth carries an obligation far greater than the delivery of cleverly argued motions. Such a person must understand that every case, every dispute, every contractual ambiguity ultimately touches a living human story.
This broader ethical grounding demands that the lawyer transcend the narrow adversarial mindset. The adversarial process is an essential structural feature of many legal systems, yet it cannot be allowed to define the identity of the legal practitioner. The professional who sees law solely as combat quickly loses sight of the deeper purpose of the legal order. The law aspires to resolve discord, not deepen it; to bring coherence to human affairs, not to glorify conflict. When the public views lawyers as warriors whose mission is to win at all costs, it reflects a misunderstanding of how law should function in society. Such a view is very limiting and damaging and at odds with the noble nature of the legal profession. The true vocation requires not aggression but wisdom — the ability to understand not just what the law is, but what justice requires.
Understanding the social dynamics that impact the law is therefore essential. Law is a living institution that evolves in concert with the societies it regulates. Technology, politics, economics, culture — all shape the contours of legal meaning. A legal professional must constantly engage with these forces, interpreting not only texts but contexts. This includes appreciating the invisible pressures that bear upon individuals: inequality, vulnerability, cultural identity, and the shifting tension between liberty and security. The law’s effectiveness depends on this awareness. Without it, legal analysis risks becoming mechanistic, divorced from the realities it purports to govern.
Equally important is the ethical sensibility that flows from this awareness. A lawyer steeped in humanistic foundations does not view legal questions merely through the lens of strategic outcomes. Ethical discernment requires examining the moral implications of legal choices — whether advising a client, interpreting a treaty, or shaping policy. In fields as diverse as criminal justice, international law, and regulatory governance, the challenge is the same: how to balance protection with fairness, authority with accountability, and security with liberty. The legal professional must resist the temptation to reduce these tensions to formulas or competitive maneuvers. The task is ultimately moral before it is procedural.
This is why the truly accomplished legal thinker recognizes the importance of purpose in law. Rules and regulations, if stripped of purpose, become hollow. A remark often applied to regulatory processes — that they suffer from “lack of direction, purpose and structure” — illustrates a broader truth about legal systems themselves: law fails when it forgets why it exists. The legal professional’s role is thus to reconnect rules with reason, processes with principles, and institutions with the public interest they are intended to serve.
From this perspective, the noble nature of the legal profession becomes clearer. The profession is not noble because it grants power over argument or advantage in conflict. It is noble because it serves a higher ideal: justice marked by dignity, equality, and human flourishing. The work of law is the work of society’s moral architecture. To participate in that work is to accept a responsibility that cannot be reduced to adversarial theatrics.
Yet humility is essential. The demands of the profession are immense, and the complexities of modern society amplify them. New technologies challenge traditional understandings of privacy and agency; global interdependence strains outdated frameworks of sovereignty; social fragmentation tests the resilience of legal institutions. In such a world, a legal professional cannot stand aloof or rely on formulaic approaches. Continuous learning — not only of law but of human nature — becomes indispensable.
Prof Deepika Udagama
To embody the noble essence of the legal profession, one must reject the narrow identity of the warrior-advocate and embrace a more expansive vision: the lawyer as thinker, as counsellor, as steward of justice. This identity includes the courage to confront injustice, the patience to navigate ambiguity, and the wisdom to balance competing values with grace. It demands empathy as much as logic, moral clarity as much as technical precision.
Ultimately, the nobility of the legal profession lies in its potential to contribute to the common good. A lawyer who is deeply knowledgeable, ethically grounded, and attuned to society’s complexities becomes a custodian of justice in the fullest sense. Such a professional elevates the law beyond contestation and transforms it into a force that uplifts human dignity and nurtures social harmony. To aspire to anything less is to betray the true promise of the legal vocation.
Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne DCL, PhD, LL.M, LLB, FRAeS, FCILT
Senior Associate, Aviation Law and Policy
Aviation Strategies International
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