I had academic interests before I ever knew the word academic. While I was still in early primary school, I was fascinated by growing plants. I grew oak trees, coral trees, and best of all a fig tree. This led me to start reading about botany in magazines, encyclopaedias and books at my parents' and school library. From botany, I got interested in biology generally, although by the time I entered high school, I was more into chemistry and physics, which I loved.
But all the time, another subject was growing in interest: mathematics. This subject underlay all of the other sciences, but was different to them because it could actually prove things with absolute certainty. I was impressed by that, and loved exploring the different areas of mathematics and their perfect consistency. And the interrelations between, for example, complex numbers, pi, and the basics 0 and 1 in Euler's famous equation.
But I went to Catholic schools, and my maths and physics master was also a Marist Brother. I think he worried that my passion for science and mathematics might lead me away from our religion, so he introduced me to Christian philosophers - a big mistake, since I soon started reading pagans like Plato and Aristotle, and even worse people like Kant, Hume and Sartre. At university, I began a science degree, but soon switched to arts, with a major in philosophy, although I did continue with the mathematics, which went well with the logic I was studying in philosophy.
These days, I'm still interested in these subjects, but also economics, law, history and politics, none of which I've ever studied at university. Some of my friends think it's a bit weird, but I enjoy reading the opinions of the US Supreme Court. I'm not American, but I like the US Constitution, and the nine justices of the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS), write great academic English. If you looking for some examples of how to do things with English words, they are a great source, but we won't be reading any of those this term.
Saturday, 10 November 2018
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In my opinion,Biology is a complex subject.I have studied it in high school and my bio score is not good.I'm not good at remembering the scientific names and other machanisms.Nevertheless,I like to draw and color structure of animals and plants.There are many details of living things that I have neve known.It's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI extremely like mathmetics because it's the subject that we use understanding not remembering.We can prove it be the formulars.I can do maths problems all day.I always think that when I can do each problems.It seems like win.I really enjoy with it.
However,I'm not good at social study or philosophy.I hardly know the information about world important people because I hate reading history.Thus,This is my weakness.I should learn more about them ,espectually in the story of American politicians that I always found it in the passages of SAT test.I have never do this part well.I hope I can get more knowledge and suggestions from you who are interest in this subject.