Quotidian Musings Cynthia Wang

People fought wars for, declared revolutions in the name of, and killed for freedom. Now, hypersensitivity, blind hatred, and - believe it or not - freedom itself are driving a global pandemic to an indefinite future. This brings into question if we really should validate ourselves on the sheer basis of "freedom of choice" - if we really know best for each and every one of ourselves. Today, we'll be looking at libertarian paternalism, Plato's "Noble Lie", and more to delve deeper into the question of limiting freedom. We'll be welcoming Mr. Jordan Finch - a high school history teacher and MUN director - to share history's perspective on the evolution of freedom.

We are blind to history's echoes, settling down to instead perform a live reenactment of the "This is Fine" meme. Every single one of us has been (most likely) brought up in an echo chamber of beliefs, values, and thoughts. This evolutionary tendency to seek like-minded crowds has now developed into a toxic, cult-like bubble of polarization and hypersensitivity. In today's episode, in interviews English teachers Mr. Brady Riddle and Mr. Paul Harris, we explore how an increasing awareness of impenetrable echo chambers is leading young people to apathy.

We transact money nearly every day: for food, work, leisure, etc. Yet, we hardly stop to think about what we think about money as a concept. It was a "middle man" between the trade, but in Marx's words, money is now an end goal between commodities. We lust after money, yet we despise it as an instigator of greed. Can we define an ethical system behind money from a personal day-to-day level to an international one? With an interview with Ms. Sarah MacKenzie, a high school economics teacher, we strive to further discuss these questions.

We learn about the great figures of history through what they've done and the beliefs that motivated their actions. Yet, beliefs are ever-changing, fluid things. Political scientist Francis Fukuyama changed his stance after he published his prominent book "The End of History and the Last Man." A single conversation with someone else could modify your opinions. Then, how do we know what we believe in? How flexible should we be to persuasion, and how much should we hold true to what we know? Combined with an interview with high school teacher Mr. Douglas Parker, this episode will delve into how what we believe is inexplicably tied with our identities.