big questions What’s Your Question?
by Doreen Xu
It all starts with a question. boundaries; that anyone anyFrom the sublimely metaphysical where can philosophize; that it is a (Are we really here? If so, why are we universal impulse to ask questions here?) to the more contrived and quirky and seek answers. And philosophy (Is Schrödinger’s cat alive or dead?), phidoesn’t have to be abstruse. In losophy is all about questions. You’ve probably asked fact, philosophical inquiry can be as some philosophical questions yourself, even if only at satisfying as fi nishing a marathon or a subconscious level: What is love? Why do bad things fi nally understanding that tricky math happen to good people? What is goodness and how problem. do we achieve it? What is the meaning of life? Bringing As I face the future, I know I’ll always these questions to light and using logic to answer them turn to philosophy to challenge, frusis the work of philosophers. trate, enlighten, and ultimately empower Thinking up questions, the fi rst act of “philosophizing,” me. I’ve already benefi ted from has always been my favorite part of the process. I have philosophy by becoming always been fascinated by the roots of actions: a more critical thinker, Why did a person act in a particular way? a more fearless What triggers acts of kindness, indifferstudent, and more ence, or evil? I remember reading the thoughtful in and World section of the New York Times as out of the classroom. a 10-year-old, wondering what motivated As Immanuel Kant the atrocities—from assaults on individuals observed, “The sum to genocides—I’d read about. total of all possible Wanting to understand the causes of these knowledge of God is istock actions, I eventually decided to focus on a specifi c not possible for a human question: “What spurs human acts of evil and hate?” being … but it is one of the worthiest When I was in ninth grade, I began an intensive exploinquiries to see how far our reason can go.” ration of this question. Saturdays and Sundays would So that’s what philosophy means to me, but it’s up often fi nd me curled up in the school library’s comto you to discover its potential for you. Pave your own fortable chairs, fl ipping through stacks of books and exploration in philosophy. Start with a question. i journals, furiously scribbling notes and musings in my notebook. Three years later, I pulled all my thoughts Doreen Xu is a senior at Baylor school in tennessee, where together into a portfolio of fi ve papers drawing from she is editor of the yearbook, literary magazine, and the school sources in literature, history, and philosophy, and all newspaper. she is also president of tied to the theme of “The Roots of Evil.” her school’s Amnesty international Crafting questions that truly fascinate me and then chapter, captain of the debate investigating them to discover my own truth—that, for and economics teams, a member me, is the beauty of this process, and why I took so of the varsity swim and lacrosse much joy in writing these papers in philosophy. teams, and a writing center tutor, Friends sometimes scrunch up their faces in baffl eand participates in several other ment. Philosophy? Why philosophy? Isn’t this a theoretical, activities. For “the Roots of evil,” abstract, and inaccessible fi eld reserved for academics? Doreen was named a Davidson (At this point, they might refer to the stereotypical image Fellow by the Davidson institute for of wizened men with white beards and thick glasses.) I talent Development and awarded a explain that philosophy transcends age, background, and $25,000 scholarship.
www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine
Davidson Fellows Scholarships are awarded for work in mathematics, science, literature, music, technology, philosophy, and “outside the box.” For more information, see www.ditd.org. imagine 5