As humans, why do we have an inherent need to explain the unexplainable? I think all of us can attest to having a compulsive desire to uncover truth, even when it’s a.) not possible to attain or b.) completely irrelevant. So the question is why. Why do we have to always know everything? Why can’t we be satisfied with a silhouette of truth as we accept ignorance as a valid course of knowledge?
As a science student, the majority of my studies have involved learning “facts” about biological systems, mechanics, etc. These facts differ in subject and complexity, but the underlying similarity they all share is the ability to be proven. By the same token, a vast amount of conjectures have been presented to the scientific community by ambitious researchers. Extensive case studies must be done to validate or reject a theory before it can be accepted as a “fact”; however, can the aforementioned process be applied to all questions in life?
In a world where we ascribe quantities to everything, it’s common to venture into the realm of intangibles. For example, it’s easy to say that “I’m richer than him”, for one’s bank account balance could easily illustrate this claim. There are concrete measurements to ascertain one’s wealth, and this can be directly compared to another’s. However, how do we make similar claims about abstract traits like intelligence?
First of all, I want to congratulate my peers who graduated today! I’m so happy for each of you! 
While I was watching the commencement ceremony, I started to think… what is everyone going to do after today? Heck, I myself have found that taking so much time off has made me contract a severe case of boredom.
A few days ago, I was trying to compile a mental list of some controversial topics I could write about. For some reason, I ended up dwelling on abortion and the search for extraterrestrials. Only then did I realize a striking similarity between the two – both involve the seemingly impossible task of devising a list of parameters which concretely outline “life.” If you think about it, we as intelligent human beings have an inherent idea of what constitutes “life”, but how exactly do we go about defining it in a manner which is both broad yet without exception? In the case of abortion, is life present the instant in which fertilization occurs? How about E.T. and his friends… do they have to be carbon-based, cellular organisms to be considered life forms?
