Reflection: As I mentioned on the "Thematic & Reflective" page, the Capstone Project located here represents my final substantial attempt to effectively synthesize science and meaning in a single piece of writing. I chose to approach this endeavor by examining what I saw to be the most fundamental questions humanity can ask: who am I, and what am I doing here? I then break these questiona down to examine possible answers from both scientific and meta-physical perspectives, and ultimately arrive at a conclusion regarding how these types of questions should be viewed in today's world.

 

I'm satisfied with the way this writing finally turned out, and I hope you are as well, but perhaps the main lesson I learned while doing this project is just how hard it is to thoroughly examine an issue from two so contrasting perspectives. Issues of tone, format, and technicality arose almost constantly as I struggled to connect the two analysis portions; although I was happy with the way I brought it all together in the end, the difficulty of the process made me think that this is perhaps why such comprehensive syntheses are generally discouraged in the scientific world. 

 

Either way, it was a fantastic feeling to finally not have to worry about limiting myself to focus on specific aspects of a particular scientific issue that I was researching for once, and I'm quite glad I made this attempt. Enjoy the presentation, and please click on the "Writing Process" subpage for a behind-the-scenes look at how this all was developed.