I want to talk about something I've been thinking a lot about lately. I'm taking a philosophy course at my college--Rutgers University--and I know a lot of people think philosophy is a waste of time, that you don't actually learn anything from it..but I disagree, and I'll get to telling you why in a minute. It's important to note the structure of the class first: there's no homework, no in-class assignments, no powerpoint slides, and our two exams throughout the semester are open-book, open-note exams. I know what you're thinking:
What is the point of the class??
An aside for a moment:
It's my personal belief that education in this decade has shifted from teaching students to become better people, to teaching them how to become better test-takers. Education is meant to nourish a growing mind to create a foundation for building a well-rounded citizen of the human race. We won't have to take tests outside of school or copy down words on a powerpoint slide. We'll have to interact with other people, making intelligible decisions in a multitude of unpredictable situations and acting upon those decisions. Of course tests are designed to "test" our knowledge on the topic at hand, and I am not saying they should be banished, but they should not be the center of education. Understanding the information and using that information in the real world--rather than just memorizing it and then completely forgetting about it--should be of the utmost importance..
Back to my philosophy class: *phew*
What does all of that have to do with my philosophy class, and in turn, what does that have to do with what I've been thinking about lately? To the first part of that question: The point I was making with the structure of the class is that it is meant to divert our attention to critically thinking about what we discuss in class, rather than worrying about what to study or what we'll have to remember for an exam (no, this does not mean we won't actually learn anything--for those taking the class seriously, that is). There's technically no right or wrong answers to what we discuss in philosophy, it's more about rationalizing ideas and using reasoning to explain certain concepts. What's so great about the concepts we cover is that they are universal and can be used to support any number of ideas or tools of persuasion. Now I know at this point you've been dying to ask:
What have you been thinking about so much lately Bri???
*Warning: the following requires the use of your brain and some mind-blowing concepts, proceed with caution:
Since you begged, I'll tell you! One of the concepts we discussed in this philosophy class is the idea of infinity (crazy, right?) In nature, there are natural numbers (0,1,2,3...) and real numbers (1/2,1/4,1/8...) that each go on infinitely. Between each natural number--for example between 1 and 2--there are an infinite number of real numbers, meaning there is no least or greatest number that is between 1 and 2. So not only do the numbers increase infinitely, they also contain infinite numbers between them (whaaaaaat?) Don't worry, I'm not testing you on this, so stay with me. Now, if there are an infinite number of numbers, with any given one number there are an infinite number of quantities less than and greater than that number. Meaning there is no smallest or biggest number in the whole universe, since it extends both ways infinitely. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN????
The same can be said for every person in the human race. *mind. blown.*
I know, it seems like a stretch, but hear me out. Just like natural and real numbers, there are an infinite number of allele (gene) combinations (genetics? gross) that are unique to every single human being on the planet (discounting identical twins of course). Just as no two fingerprints are alike, the same can be said for people (other than twins, again). So if this is true, than that means there is no least, or most, beautiful or smart or overall best human within the entire race, because there will be an infinite amount of criteria for any given characteristic. That means when you say "she's prettier than me," or "damn, he's way cooler than I am," you have no foundation to make that assumption off of. Who is to say that she's prettier or he's cooler?? Who is to say that anyone is more or less *insert adjective of your choosing* than anyone else. Who is to say a butterfly is more beautiful than a moth?? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder my friends. If anyone ever tries to tell you otherwise, just hit them with some infinity stuff and they're guaranteed to walk away with their mind B L O W N (or confused, either way it diverted them from what they said before, right?)
*Kudos to you if you've made it this far*
What to take away from this long-ish post:
- I should probably be administered into a mental hospital...
- The foundation of education has been lost among standardized tests and the pressure of getting that "perfect" 4.0 GPA.
- Philosophy is a totally mind blowing topic.
- No really, it may lead to the brain actually blowing up...
- There is no one on this earth that is better, or worse, than you are, which makes the idea of "labeling" and "popularity" moot.
- You are unique in every way, and should never aspire to be someone else.
- Seriously, kudos to you for making it this far.
I hope someone has taken something away from the gibberish I have posted here...
Goodnight, Moths! xoxo
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