Undergraduate / I wondered how humans could prove their existence after reading the "brain-in-a-vat" - 'Why' Essay [4]

How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

It's a cold day, yet University of Chicago students are discussing Kant at the bus station: a weird but common scene at Hyde Park. When a current UChicago student depicted it to me, I could not help but become fond of this school and its members, who explore passionately, think deeply, and argue actively.

I wondered how humans could prove their existence after reading the "brain-in-a-vat" theory, which holds that human thoughts are the results of a computer program. I was curious why the role of religion did not diminish despite of the scientific explanations for most phenomena. I pondered what it felt for a bat to be a bat. These issues seemed to have an ongoing series of arguments and I have tried but could not find a clear answer on either side. However, when I posed those questions to my classmates, they laughed them off as "worthless jokes". It was hard to find a community with such shared interests in my high school, which is why I was so excited when a UChicago student told me that he spent most of his time thinking. The opportunity to join an "incredible tradition of inquiry," as the recent Aim of Education speaker said, attracts thinkers like me to this community. It is a place where inquiry is the mainstream, where the eccentric yet scholarly thoughts that many ignore constitute the norm. The thoughtful air and the mindset of constant exploration attract me to UChicago. Courses such as "Philosophical Perspectives" would allow me to explore issues that I have long been curious about, for example the place of human beings in the world. I believe these discussions are able to bring me to a more profound way of thinking.

The numerous academic and research opportunities also intrigue me. I enjoyed reading Professor Lucas's book Recursive Methods in Economic Dynamics and the way he uses data and quantitative methods to illustrate his arguments. When I was a little girl, I could sense that the numbers on my parents' papers could not wait to communicate with me, but I didn't understand what they were saying. As time went by, I gradually became familiar with the language of numbers and Professor Lucas's book showed me much more. When numbers come together, they speak for the economic status of nations, stand for conditions of labor markets or anticipate business cycles. In addition to Professor Lucas's book, I was also impressed with Freakonomics written by Professor Levitt. His out-of-the-box approach in presenting information and linking sumo wrestlers to economic theories is said to permeate throughout the entire academic atmosphere at UChicago. As I learn more about other exciting UChicago projects, I hope for a closer interaction with these unconventional professors at UChicago and participation in similar research projects, in order to mold my own opinion and analysis together. I want to work on Professor Sonnenschein's project on social choices, connecting analysis of collective decisions with considerations of psychology, preferences, and social welfare, simply because the social influences on economic policy are fascinating to examine.

Although it is important to me, academia would not make up my whole life at UChicago. I envision myself participating in the annual Polar Bear Run with my costume, cheering for friends during the Humans vs. Zombies game, and enjoying the Summer Breeze events on the Main Quads. Given its unconventional academic opportunities and colorful days, the University of Chicago is an ideal place, and four years might actually not be enough.