Is My Brain Built For Engineering?

As I am getting closer to picking my college major and setting my future plans, I am not only considering my present and future but especially my past. After all, it is my past choices and achievements that make me who I am today. I keep reflecting on events and memories that vividly stand out in my head. Here is one story that stands out..

I was very young when my true passion was clearly defined. It wasn’t the violin that I confidently enjoyed playing, it was what I did with the violin. I was four years old at the time, and I was waiting in Yale University’s Sprague Hall, for my turn to perform my first solo violin concert on stage in front of my family, and hundreds of other people. As my peers around me concentrated on tuning their instruments and patiently waited to perform, I was more focused and intrigued by my instrument itself.  The pegs, the bridge, the four strings, the fingerboard, the scroll, the fine tuners, the chin rest, the Kun; all these pieces seemed so separate and individual to me.  Maybe it was the beautiful concertos being played by other students that stirred up my creative curiosity, which incidentally lead to the following...

I had become intent on the idea of taking apart my 1/16^th size violin. Unaware of time and what was going on around me, five minutes had passed and I was next to perform. I realized my dilemma and needed my violin in tact immediately... I had taken my violin apart into nearly twenty different pieces.  I’ll never forget the shock and disbelief on my violin teacher’s face. Fortunately, she was able to quickly reassemble the tiny instrument and my performance proceeded.  Playing the violin is still an important part of who I am.  While I don’t intend to major in music, I know I will always set aside time to play for my own personal enjoyment.  Other than an occasional string replacement, my violin remains in tact, fully assembled.

Coincidentally, this early memory of taking something apart was the starting point of my potential college major and career. This desire to take something apart to explore its parts and functionality is still a habit of mine today and really makes me think that I should study a field that relates closely to such curiosity. At SMU, that field is most likely engineering.

An Eye Opening Theory

I understand that you may not be extremely attracted to blogs involving contemporary political issues that involve two or more arguments, but I kindly ask you to open-mindedly read on.

In my philosophy class, I have recently studied an argument against abortion proposed by a man named Don Marquis. His argument against abortion is very straight forward, in that it clearly states that abortion is seriously wrong. Unlike many others who argue for pro-life, however, Marquis’ view is not influenced in any way by religion. According to Marquis, aside from very rare occasions, abortion can be classified as the same thing as killing an innocent adult human being. The reason killing a fetus is the same as killing an adult is because, fully grown or not, both living organisms have futures, and killing a fetus is depriving it of its future. Killing anything with a future robs that particular individual of future events, activities, projects, and accomplishments. If viewed as a series of true statements, “abortion is wrong” can be interpreted as a fact.

A.)   A fetus is potentially an innocent baby.

B.)   The living innocent baby has a future.

C.)   Killing an innocent baby is wrong.

D.)   Abortion is defined as the killing of a fetus.

E.)   Abortion is wrong.

Based on Marquis’ theory, abortion is equivalent to murder and should be treated as a crime the same way killing any human being would be.

After studying this theory, I believe that everyone should read these facts before getting an abortion because it allows them to see abortion for what it really is. I believe that when any person gets an abortion they will almost always feel bad about it in someway or another, and deep down they believe it is morally incorrect. However, because we live in a society that is somewhat accepting of such acts of cruelty, it is overlooked. 

For more information on Marquis Pro-Life argument, click here