Lauren Alexes Kirkpatrick
- What do you like about studying philosophy at Harvard? Studying philosophy is unique in that one is building a stronger relationship with oneself, along with cultivating a toolkit of reasoning which one cannot gain elsewhere. There is something daunting and simultaneously intriguing about exploring unanswerable questions of life, ethics, virtue, etc. In hopes of articulating one’s answers to these questions, one is inevitably forced to look inwards. It is in these moments of reflection that I am typically faced with a gut-wrenching questioning of my own way of navigating life. This questioning of the self not only illustrates the accessible nature of this discipline, but also drives the charm of philosophizing! Contrary to popular belief, logic proofs are a small fraction of the full spirit of philosophy. Creativity through the means of listening closely to one’s intuitive “irks” also plays an integral role in the discipline. Especially here at Harvard, I have noticed that this creativity flourishes in and outside of the classroom. Whether it be stopping by a professor’s office hours to nerd out on a moral crisis, or simply bonding with fellow philosophy concentrators on deceptively short readings, there is a special (almost magical) scene of communal imagination always at work. Assuming that the student interested in philosophy has grown tired of my long-windedness, I would be sure to end my Ted-talk with a dose of practicality. Philosophy opens many doors! The aforementioned traits of creativity, critical reasoning, and more importantly collaboration, are the very characteristics that numerous careers search for in potential hires.
- House: Mather House!
- Concentration: Philosophy, with a secondary in Government.
- Other Concentrations Considered: Social Studies, Government, African and African American Studies, and History & Literature (American Studies).
- Courses Taken: (PHIL 3) The True and the Good, (PHIL 18) Human Ethics: A Brief History, (PHIL 159A) Epistemic Injustice, (PHIL 4) Logic I, (GOV 94SAF) E&L Safra Undergraduate Ethics.
- Thesis: Something dabbling into the realm of social philosophy! In particular, social ontology and epistemic injustice in the context of the law.
- Other Interests / Notes: Though I adore my philosophical armchair, I certainly want to embark on much needed initiatives of social change (i.e. applied ethics, practical applications of what we learn in the classroom). Thus, unsurprisingly, much of my interests lie in philosophizing about the social world under a justice-oriented lens.