Spring 2012

Hu Shi once said, "Expression is the best means to appropriate impressions." Very true. Writing helps us to think clearly, to be articulate and logical, to engage in dialectics and self-critique, and to be diligent. So, I shall write.

In Spring 2012, I will climb the Mt. Everest of human intellectual achievements in the past 200 years. The previous semesters have upgraded my intellectual firepower to the level where I feel confident taking on the two giants: Marx and Darwin.

There is probably not a third person who has made a comparable impact on the trajectory of human history since the 1800. Marx and Darwin not only revolutionized their own fields and influenced their contemporaries, they also fundamentally changed the way everyone thinks about and engages with the world, even till today. Amazingly, all the groundbreaking new thinking came out of two individuals born and died at around the same time. Marx was nine years younger than Darwin, and died one year after Darwin. Marx published "The Communist Manifesto" at the age of 30, and "Das Kapital" at around 50. Darwin published "Voyage of the Beagle" at 30, and "The Origin of Species" at 50.

What happened in those two brains? What did they go through in life that led to their revolutionary thinking? Why were they able to see what others couldn't? How do I compare to them? These are the questions that fascinates me.

Climbing the highest mountain would give me courage and inspiration to create my own mountains. It might be time to construct my own system, using what I've learned from Marx and Darwin. I will further develop my framework of "Trinity of E", or reject it if it is not helpful. No matter what, getting started is half of the work.