Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010 - (Page 4)

BIG IDEAS FOR BRIGHT MINDS ™ EDITOR editor’s note Why philosophy? In Imagine’s 17-year history, we’ve published four issues focusing on math, four on writing, and five on the arts. We’ve devoted multiple issues to engineering, physics, astronomy, and biology. But no previous issue has focused on philosophy. When two colleagues from CTY’s Department of Summer Academic Programs approached our staff with the idea of devoting an issue to philosophy, we were reluctant. More precisely, I was reluctant. Philosophy intimidated me. I had taken one philosophy class in college, and that was because it was required. I thought philosophy was abstract, esoteric, and narrower and less practical even than my own major, English. I was wrong—but I wasn’t alone. Many people share these misperceptions about philosophy. This bias might stem in part from philosophy’s absence in the American curriculum. As one of our contributors, Jana Mohr Lone, points out, “The United States is one of the few countries in the world that doesn’t require high school students to take philosophy.” With mathematics, literature, science, and history, it might seem that the curriculum is already quite full. But philosophy is at the core of all of these disciplines. It is foundational. Philosophy develops students’ analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills—valuable assets in a wide range of careers from medicine and law to information technology and business. And a 2008 report by Payscale.com shows that the major pays off: Philosophy majors rank 16th out of 50 majors in mid-career median salary—higher than majors in information technology, business management, and architecture, to name a few. But as this issue of Imagine shows, you don’t have to major in philosophy or wait until college to study it, even if your school doesn’t offer philosophy classes. You’ll hear from three high school students—one who took a summer course, another who competed in Ethics Bowl, and still another who wrote an awardwinning philosophy portfolio—who explored philosophy outside of school. If you want to bring philosophy into your school, you’ll find advice on how to start a philosophy club. You’ll see some of the underlying philosophical concepts of movies such as The Matrix and fiction such as the Harry Potter series. You’ll even find a brief (and fun!) introduction to some of the biggest names and ideas in philosophy. Of course, you will also hear from students of philosophy themselves—and from someone whose philosophy degree led to a career in epidemiology. And you’ll hear from one of today’s most influential contemporary philosophers, Bas van Fraassen, whose interest in philosophy began when he was a teenager. Working on this issue has been a revelation, and we hope that you have a similar experience when you read it. Instead of asking “Why philosophy?”—as I did when Stu Gluck and Carlos Rodriguez first proposed this issue—we think you’ll be asking, “What took you so long?” —mh Melissa Hartman ASSISTANT EDITOR Amy Entwisle CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & EDITORS PROOFREADER Melissa House DESIGN & PRODUCTION Bonotom Studio, Inc. ART DIRECTOR Abigail Noonan ISSN 1071-605X Vol.17 No.4 | Mar/Apr 2010 Copyright © 2010 by The Johns Hopkins University All rights reserved. No portion of this journal may be reproduced by any process or technique without the formal consent of The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. Published five times a year: September/October November/December January/February March/April May/June ADDRESS SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES TO: Imagine, JHU Press Journals Division, P.O. Box 19966 Baltimore, MD 21211-0966 800-548-1784, 410-516-6968 (fax) or order online:cty.jhu.edu/imagine ADDRESS EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE TO: Melissa Hartman, CTY/Imagine 5801 Smith Avenue, Suite 400 Baltimore, MD 21209 mhartman@jhu.edu 4 imagine chARLes BeckMAN Kristi Birch Carol C. Blackburn Linda E. Brody Stuart Gluck Michelle Muratori Carlos Rodriguez Mar/Apr 2010 http://www.cty.jhu.edu/imagine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note
Big Questions
In My Own Words
Why Study Philosophy?
The Great Conversation
Robots, Zombies, and Descartes
The Wide World of Philosophy
The Philosopher’s Toolbox
Bad Dreams, Evil Demons, and The Experience Machine
Harry Potter and Plato
Exploring Ethics (or, Why I Give Up Saturdays in Spring)
How to Start a Philosophy Club
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Middle Ground
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Sudoku
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010