It is a commonly held belief that mathematics students dread spending much time contemplating over a conceptual question to only end up with a relative answer. However, I am an exception: I pride myself on being able to kill a whole hour thinking deeply about topics that do not seem to benefit me in the present or future. Questions such as “what constitutes a virtuous action” and “what is the goal of life” occupy my attention and take up a good portion of my free time. The unorthodox interest led me to enroll in Honors Freedom and Authority, and the experience taken away from the class is everlasting.
Freedom and Authority focuses on discussing the philosophical as well as religious ideas and beliefs and their application in today’s society. Coming from a country in which philosophy is considered a fruitless pursuit, I develop a new perspective of a subject as I learn about prominent philosophers, whose school of thought holds true for hundreds of years and served as a living guide for thousands of people. From Plato’s definition of justice as each class in a society fulfilling their distinct duty to Aristotle’s interpretation of virtue as the golden mean between two vices, I analyze the concepts that drive human beings’ daily conduct from different perspectives. Growing up in a non-religious household, I never understood the point of following a set of beliefs or praising a divine figure. However, the dissection of various religions encourages me to reflect on my inner self and my behavior towards others. Christianity teaches me that no external force, however powerful or overwhelming, can affect the will of heart if it cannot win the victory of spirit; Buddhism prompts me to embrace the concept of karma, practice ethical behavior, and abstain from intellectual complacency. By distilling important ideas from each philosophical idea and religion, I set up my own moral discipline that guides my everyday life actions.
In addition, being exposed to multiple doctrines from different prominent philosophers, I consistently regained my long-lost habit of asking “Why”. Little did I notice, children consistently thrust out “Why” questions; as they grow up, the frequency decreases, and the curiosity changes into the blind acceptance of any new facts or ideas. The power of a good question is that it can prompt recipients to think critically. As I live in the era of information abundance, a strong critical thinking mindset proves to be helpful in determining useful input and differentiating heavily biased propaganda. I am no longer a lonely thinker anymore. Freedom and Authority connects me with passionate friends who share the same interest in philosophical and religious topics. The class empowers me to go beyond myself and consider diverse beliefs that exist around me and develop a global perspective of the world.