A while ago, I was letting the old mind wander, thinking about the differing mentalities of those who study different subjects at university, and came to the conclusion that they can be defined, rather broadly, by simple questions - which are both asked and answered by the individual.
For example, science can be defined by the question "What exactly is going on?", or possibly just "How?"
Psychology - "Why is he/she behaving in that way?"
History - "What happened back then?"
Medicine - "How can we improve this person's health?"
Ethics - "Is it the right thing to do?"
Engineering - "How can we make this work/make it work better?"
This can extend to professions:
Repair-person - "How can this be fixed?"
Critic - "Is it good?"
Comedian - "What would make people laugh?"
Accountant - "Is it financially viable?"
It follows that people can also be defined by questions - more than one, given that a person is much more than what they do - both mundane, like "What's for lunch?", and rather more abstract, like "Could I live with the repercussions of this decision?". These apply to more or less everybody, but there are some questions specific to the individual that, in some way, govern their lives.
A personal example - "How could I phrase this remark/insult so it conveys what I'm trying to say, but still sounds sort of diplomatic/intelligent?"
So, Escapists, I ask you - what questions do you think influence your lives?
1000th post. Wooo. Time for a "happy dance".
For example, science can be defined by the question "What exactly is going on?", or possibly just "How?"
Psychology - "Why is he/she behaving in that way?"
History - "What happened back then?"
Medicine - "How can we improve this person's health?"
Ethics - "Is it the right thing to do?"
Engineering - "How can we make this work/make it work better?"
This can extend to professions:
Repair-person - "How can this be fixed?"
Critic - "Is it good?"
Comedian - "What would make people laugh?"
Accountant - "Is it financially viable?"
It follows that people can also be defined by questions - more than one, given that a person is much more than what they do - both mundane, like "What's for lunch?", and rather more abstract, like "Could I live with the repercussions of this decision?". These apply to more or less everybody, but there are some questions specific to the individual that, in some way, govern their lives.
A personal example - "How could I phrase this remark/insult so it conveys what I'm trying to say, but still sounds sort of diplomatic/intelligent?"
So, Escapists, I ask you - what questions do you think influence your lives?
1000th post. Wooo. Time for a "happy dance".
