Legibilus

  We say that we like having answers. We ask questions, research, and experiment to find exact and satisfactory answers about the world. However, at the same time, it seems that we are always hesitant to say that a result found is the correct answer. In other words, we always tend to include some uncertainty in our answers that although what we know is most likely correct, it might not be. What is uncertainty for us and why do we have it all the time? Uncertainty is very common in various fields of academia under different names. In economic history when constructing equations to find certain indicators, an “ignorance factor” is often added as an unknown constant. In statistical analysis, models have the greek letter epsilon, representing the “error term.” As such even the academic fields concerning itself with exact numbers and equations make sure to include an uncertainty factor to account for the fact that the results might not be correct to some extent.  Uncertainty presen...

  In many contexts, the word “competition” brings up a negative connotation. When I hear this word, I am reminded of the time in high school where I had to pull multiple all-nighters memorizing the textbook verbatim just for one more point on the exam that would bring up my class rank. I naturally tend to associate stress, tiredness and lack of motivation with competition. But is competition such a terrible thing? If so, why is it everywhere around us? The basic principle behind competition is most likely that in a competitive setting, every individual participating in the competition will be further motivated to develop oneself in order to outperform the competitors. In a school context, students will be incentivized to study harder and in a workplace setting, employees will be motivated to work longer and focus better. In a larger scope, companies will be motivated to develop products of better qualities and countries will be motivated to implement policies that would further dev...

Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter states the following: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” This article, along with several judgements of the International Court of Justice such as the Nicaragua case and the case of Democratic Republic of Congo versus Uganda, sets an important principle of international law: the principle of non-intervention. According to this principle, states must not intervene in the other states' affairs unless there is a justifiable reason behind. All states' territorial integrity and political independence must be respected and any threat or use of force that tampers it shall be refrained. For example, France cannot send its own troops to Catalonia to support its secession movement since it goes against Spain's sovereignty within its ow...

  A few weeks ago, I set my foot on European soil for the first time. I went on a seven-day trip to Greece with my friends from school and this marked my first trip to Europe. While we were having gyros there, enjoying the peaceful mountainous view of Delphi, we heard a baby crying on the top of his lung a few tables away from us. Then, a friend asked me a question: I personally think it’s not worth it to bring children too young on trips like this. Do you think just by traveling you learn something even if you are not mature enough to understand the culture and history behind the things you see? My initial response was “Yes. Traveling to another place is meaningful in itself. Of course we learn something just by the act of traveling.” But this question lingered in my mind for a few more days. Is the mere act of traveling really rewarding in itself or is it the information and personal experience that comes from traveling that cause the transformation of mind and soul that we typic...

     What is your favorite painting? I know, we are not living through the Renaissance where art was considered one of the most significant fields of human life and these days not many people incorporate art in their life routine. But, still, I would like to insist asking you: do you have your favorite painting which somehow made you to fall in love immediately? And by painting, just to make sure that we are on the same page, I am talking about the paintings painted on canvas that you see when you go to museums like Museo del Prado and MoMA.      As I said, the importance of art in our lives is fading more and more as time goes on. Unlike our ancestors who almost revered artistic beauty, we are more... occupied--let's put it this way--by other things. Nowadays, when we meet someone who knows a lot of art pieces, we almost automatically associate her with adjectives such as 'posh', 'elegant', 'sophisticated', or 'luxurious'. Art museums and galleries ...

  Across history, there have been numerous examples of hierarchy in society. In India, there was the caste system with five different levels of social status, in Korea there has been a divide between the “royals” and the “commoners,” and with the feudal system, there was a divide between the landlords and the farmers. Do you think such a hierarchy still exists? What do you think is the modern version of a social hierarchy? Today I would like to share some of my thoughts regarding the divide in social status nowadays, focusing on what I have observed throughout my life.  Before I start with the examples, I would like to start off with my conclusion. The criteria that determines social hierarchy should be something visible and something that is different for everyone. That is to say, one should be able to easily tell which hierarchy an individual fits through some sort of an indication, whether that be appearance, model of the car, or a report card. Therefore, I think that while...

     Few years ago, Harvard Business School conducted a very interesting research called Heidi Roizen Case Study. In a Harvard classroom, students were randomly split into two groups and given an identical text. The text was a case study about a real-life entrepreneur who became a very successful venture capitalist. However, there was one difference between the two groups' texts: the name of the entrepreneur. Group A received a text that talks about a guy named Howard and group B read a text about a lady named Heidi. This was the only difference between two texts. After reading the given text, students were asked about how they felt about this entrepreneur and his/her personality.      The result was astonishing: although the one and only difference between the two texts was a name--Heidi, which is evidently a woman's name, and Howard, a typical man's name--only Heidi received numerous emotional attacks such as 'She must be selfish', 'She looks like a type ...

  There are some mornings where our eyes open so fast with excitement even without an alarm as we can’t wait another second for the day to start. And there are other days in which we just close our eyes, ignoring the alarm, and slightly frown wishing that time would just stop right there. In both, we react to some kind of a change that is about to happen. Sometimes we are ecstatic for the change to come, whereas other times we dread it. So change is an interesting thing and I would like to take this opportunity to examine the meaning of it in our lives.  First of all, change is what facilitates the flow of time. Echoing Jin’s previous post on time, time seems relative to everyone, to every situation. When we are traveling Europe for the first time, time seems to pass by so fast, but in a boring lecture that you physically cannot get yourself to focus, a minute feels like an hour. I believe that the difference lies in the existence of change in our situations. When we travel, t...

 <Seven interesting facts about languages> 1. The United States of America does not have an official language. I know what you are thinking: "What? Where did English go?" But in fact, the US does not have any official language since they are a salad bowl country with so many different people with diverse backgrounds living altogether. Furthermore, with all the Native American languages and dialects, more than 300-450 languages are spoken in the US. 2. According to the Guinness World Records, the most translated document on Earth is... a six paged document called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)! The UDHR has been translated into 370 languages and dialects from Abkhaz to Zulu as of 2009. When we narrow the question down a bit to 'the most translated BOOK', of course the Bible takes the crown. 3. Guess where the country with the most incredible linguistic diversity is? It is Papua New Guinea! This country with just 7.6 million people has more than ...

  One of the most controversial debates in history concerns itself of “the means versus the end.”  Before beginning the discussion, let me define what I mean by “means” and “ends.” Means are the methods which one chooses to take to achieve a certain objective. They may include any resources used, a specific way of thinking or acting, and any other forms of help one seeks. Ends are the ultimate purpose that one wishes to reach. In my life as a student, they usually take the form of getting good grades or winning a competition, but they can be any other goal that one desires.  So which one is more important? Is achieving the end goal more important than taking the right path towards success? Assuming the extreme positions to make things simpler, is it right to choose questionable methods if it promises success or should one consider the nature of the means before the ends? It seems as though choosing the ethical and moral means regardless of the results is the correct way, ...