Once a British scholar who was familiar with a British scholar asked Imam how the Islamic system would comply with modern advancements and answerable to modern era demands.
Imam appreciated to know the scholar had enough knowledge and was familiar with various Islamic jurisprudence of thought. But the scholar knew little about comprehensive Shia jurisprudence.
At this Imam explained that Shia Muslim jurisprudence contain rational components and the door of Ijtihad (the process of deducing and extracting rulings and decrees from basic Islamic source) was open for Shia jurisprudents, who are capable of meeting needs of societies and the government.
Imam explained the matter in such a specialized way unless the British researcher was impressed and convinced.
(Dr. Sadiq Tabataei, political and social memoirs, PP. 123-124)