Ren Kitayama

It is not too hard to say something on big philosophical questions. But unfortunately, most of the time they are simply mistaken. We are just as confused as Meno, whom Socrates proves wrong by questioning and sends into a state of puzzlement (aporia). We might confuse one concept with another, use bad arguments, and end up saying something that doesn't make sense. This, however, should not thwart our quest for philosophical knowledge. Studying philosophy makes us realize that we are in a state of confusion, and then gives us tools (e.g. Logic) to argue constructively. And this process is expedited by cooperation; listening to other people and presenting your ideas to them reveals your mistakes, which in turn helps you to learn from them. POLIS is a great opportunity to do this. It invites professional philosophers to LUPC, the big annual conference, and acts as a catalyst for academic interactions between philosophy students who would otherwise never meet. I am already excited about the idea of doing philosophy in a huge network of University of London (Birkbeck, KCL, LSE, etc.); if I could contribute towards creating an academic and congenial environment as a POLIS representative, I would be more than excited.