The Hardest Exam in the World
The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, more commonly known as All Souls College, of Oxford University, was founded in 1438 by King Henry VI and Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury. Recent graduates of Oxford compete for a seven year Fellowship for graduate studies at All Souls, with a maximum of three Fellowships awarded. Last September approximately one hundred people took the Fellowship exam and three Fellowships were awarded. The two day, twelve hour exam has often been described as "the hardest exam in the world." Below are some general subject questions from past tests:
What is war good for?
From where does a sense of community come?
Are there too many accountants and auditors?
Is there anything to be said for astrology?
Why should I tolerate?
Is exile always a misfortune?
If there are millions of other planets capable of supporting advanced life forms, why haven't we seen or heard from them?
Is dark energy more interesting than dark matter?
Do historical novels harm historical study?
Why does truthfulness matter?
Have any philosophical questions been finally solved?
Is it worse to be cruel to a fox than to a flea?
Do we work too hard?
Can happiness be measured?
I find these questions (which I found in the March 2011 edition of Harper's Magazine) to be extremely fascinating and hope that my readers do, as well. Please feel free to contribute answers to any of these questions.
What is war good for?
From where does a sense of community come?
Are there too many accountants and auditors?
Is there anything to be said for astrology?
Why should I tolerate?
Is exile always a misfortune?
If there are millions of other planets capable of supporting advanced life forms, why haven't we seen or heard from them?
Is dark energy more interesting than dark matter?
Do historical novels harm historical study?
Why does truthfulness matter?
Have any philosophical questions been finally solved?
Is it worse to be cruel to a fox than to a flea?
Do we work too hard?
Can happiness be measured?
I find these questions (which I found in the March 2011 edition of Harper's Magazine) to be extremely fascinating and hope that my readers do, as well. Please feel free to contribute answers to any of these questions.
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Coquille
(new)
Jun 19, 2011 06:14PM
Wow, it's sort of scary that these are the questions. Who judges the tests?
reply
|
flag
Not very excited about these. I spent some time around Oxford and was not very impressed. I used to stop and is the gym on my way from Glasgow to London and east. It was defiantly a place all its own.
An interesting museum had a history of the war against the monarchy... interesting.
Enjoy the questions.
Wow, those are some deep questions! I love the idea though, and will give you my opinions on a few :-).What is war good for? Personally, I think nothing, but I guess it is good at instilling fear and resentment - kind of like a reaction to a bully. I suppose it could be good at removing a bully as well, but oftentimes that's not the case!
Why should I tolerate? Well, that's a given! You never know when you will be the one who needs a helping hand or is at the low end of the food chain. It's good practice to treat others as you would like to be treated.
Is it worse to be cruel to a fox than to a flea? No, you should not be cruel to either. As I just wrote, you never know when you may be that little 'flea'. Always treat others as you would want to be treated.
Haha, I'm sure with just those few I would fail - too soft! Enjoy!
Collette wrote: "Wow, those are some deep questions! I love the idea though, and will give you my opinions on a few :-).What is war good for? Personally, I think nothing, but I guess it is good at instilling fear..."
Nice, interesting opinions off the top of your head. Who knows? If you had hours to work on them maybe you would be one of the Fellowship winners.
Katina wrote: "I'm certainly going to take my time and answer these questions for my own benefit (that's right...going to fatten my journal a bit haha)."I'm curious to read your answers.
Carroll wrote: "I could answer a lot of those questions. I'm not saying my answers would be correct. The only answer I will submit in this response is, the planets, advanced life forms and why we haven't heard..."
Interesting
like those - good to make one think - i wonder how different snap off the top of the head answer would be from carefully thought out?
I noticed this post and thought it appropriate in consideration of the questions: REVIEWS & OPINIONS
The Idolatry of Politics
July 1, 1987 - Harry Antonides
Professor Leszek Kolakowski is a refugee from Communist Poland who now teaches at the University of Chicago and at All Souls College, Oxford University. In a speech given last year in Washington, D.C. (reprinted in The New Republic, June 16, 1986), Kolakowski argues that the spiritual legacy of the Enlightenment seems to have reached a "suicidal stage" and needs to be revised for at least three reasons.
First, the Enlightenment proclaimed that all human beliefs about good and evil are culturally and historically relative, and therefore absolute values do not exist. While Kolakowski does not want to defend the fanaticism underlying sectarian strife, he nevertheless points out that to reduce absolute values to mere historical phenomena is to leave us entirely defenceless over against evil and totalitarianism.
Second, Kolakowski points to the "uncertain and conceptually fragile status of human personality." He insists that a belief in the uniqueness of the person is indispensable to the notion of personal dignity and of human rights. If we assume that human beings are entirely socially formed and historically conditioned, then we cannot distinguish between one culture and another culture as better or worse. Democracy and freedom are I then no better than enslavement and totalitarianism. It all depends on the prevailing culture.
Third, our historical consciousness continues to erode, by which Kolakowski means the "progressive decline of awareness that our spiritual life includes the sediment of the historical past, as its real and active component, and that we must perceive the past as a never-fading frame of reference for our actions and thinking." Such a frame of reference is especially essential for the education of the young. Without a historically defined sense of "belonging," young people will not be able to withstand the trials the future may hold.
The decline of an historical awareness is cause for worry because it fosters a manipulative and rationalist view of society. Such a view holds that society is "in principle" malleable and that we can arrive at the perfect society without evil, scarcity, suffering and without frustration and failures. Kolakowski warns that this is a deadly illusion (or idolatry) that is sure to divert politics into an exercise of totalitarian control.
His critical analysis of the spiritual legacy of the Enlightenment should be welcomed by all who believe in the biblical revelation regarding creation and the meaning of human life. Kolakowski's observations have a special, significance for those who want to understand the drift of Canadian politics. They will find all kinds of evidence to suggest that the very things Kolakowski warns against are now emerging on the political agenda in Canada. Forewarned is forewarned.
Those are some good questions to get one thinking... could be quite revealing, too. I shall give some short (i.e. not very good, but a taste) answers...What is war good for?
My opinion: not much. But, if you wanted to play devil's advocate there are a couple of things: reduce the world's population, generate money for weapons manufacturers.
From where does a sense of community come?
From reaching out to others - helping and asking for help. Sharing a smile.
Are there too many accountants and auditors?
Hmm.. tough one. Probably too many that are just in it for personal gain. I am sure that the world could do with a few more with a good heart, willing to help others really gain control of their money.
Why should I tolerate?
Because intolerance is based on ignorance.
Is exile always a misfortune?
Not for us introverts!
If there are millions of other planets capable of supporting advanced life forms, why haven't we seen or heard from them?
How do you define advanced? Plus, how much of life/evolution has relied on luck?
Do historical novels harm historical study?
No. If anything they bring more people to the subject.
Why does truthfulness matter?
How many stories are based on someone believing something that wasn't true (whether an intentional lie, or a misinterpretation)? True openness and understanding could do a lot for human tolerance and peace.
Is it worse to be cruel to a fox than to a flea?
Could be a hard one, but talking strictly on cruelty (not just killing - which could be done humanely, at least to a fox) the answer would be no. One should strive not to derive pleasure in the suffering of others.
Do we work too hard?
In most developed countries: yes. And for the wrong reasons (the acquirement of 'things').
Can happiness be measured?
Apparently. We keep being told who the happiest people/nations in the world are. But, for me, I think I would have to say no. Happiness is too subjective. Even if you were to measure the neurotransmitters involved, a high level for one person might be average for someone else...
Whoops! Hope this isn't too long!
I love all the comments. Philosophers - all of us! :)
I'll try to answer these and get back to you.
Deb wrote: "Those are some good questions to get one thinking... could be quite revealing, too. I shall give some short (i.e. not very good, but a taste) answers...What is war good for?
My opinion: not much..."
I like your answers, particularly the ones to a sense of community, tolerance, misfortune, and historical novels.
Carroll wrote: "Why should I tolerate? ... Because somebody is tolerating me."Good answer!
Katina wrote: "These are a wonderful set of questions! They really require the respondent to know why they feel the way they do about the response they intend to give. They also provoke self discovery...I canno..."Good thought. I agree.
Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "I'll try to answer these and get back to you."I look forward to reading your answers.
Carroll wrote: "Is dark energy more interesting than dark matter?Roughly 70% of the universe is made up of dark energy. Dark matter makes up about 25%
The rest - everything on earth, everything ever observe..."
This is a very interesting and informative post. Thanks for sharing, Carroll.
I wonder what cretinous hamster thought up these questions. Since the concept and the answers to all are entirely subjective, there can be no definitive result.I could understand :Is God real? But as for the rest I think that somebody was simply trying to justify their wages.
I pose these questions in my book American Wop. Can you see them?
I would have thought part of the point of these questions (which have no answers) is discover how a candidate 'thinks' how they can follow through an argument, how they defend a conclusion - how good reasonong power is developed. Of course there are no right answers (whatever you think of the 'God 'question) - they are not questions in the caculation way - how many men does it take to fill a bath if two do it. . . or in the factual manner is the world square or round? (of course some of you may dispute this last!!I try not to offend) I assume this college has an idea of what kind of person they are looking for when they award rare Fellowships therefore the questions are formed with the hope that finding out these mental proceses will enable them to decide.
No cretinous hamster I'm afraid - delightful as the picture is - just sound commen sense directed at a specific problem.
Not excited with these questions. Each involve so much more than a essay and are so more profound. A short answer seems to secularize them and throw them into an abyss.I think a much more important question and more specific would be comparing Pelagianism and the churches edict that only good works come from the belief in "God." It seems that these questions:
"What is war good for?
From where does a sense of community come?
Are there too many accountants and auditors?
Is there anything to be said for astrology?
Why should I tolerate?
Is exile always a misfortune?
If there are millions of other planets capable of supporting advanced life forms, why haven't we seen or heard from them?
Is dark energy more interesting than dark matter?
Do historical novels harm historical study?
Why does truthfulness matter?
Have any philosophical questions been finally solved?
Is it worse to be cruel to a fox than to a flea?
Do we work too hard?
Can happiness be measured?" ....
almost in entirety seem to beat around the bush concerning the issue of good and bad and right and wrong at the cost of our humanity and the problem entailed years ago between the emerging church, Pelagius, and Saint Augustine. This fissure created a paradoxical look at society and needs creating many of the problems we have today.
Maybe some understand: the relationship between the church - state - and University and lastly the resulting supported belief that man has no purpose and is a sinner and can only be delivered by the grace of god.
Please wait for your grace when you take this exam and believe that it was gods will when you get the results of your exam. Good luck..
Yes one can generate a list of questions "as profound" in minutes with a few question out of the first page of a dictionary. Such is our current state of education...perpetuated...devoid of morality and secularized by history.
Time to settle the Pelegrian Heresy and move on. How about something a little tougher for the university and the test takers.
Of the top of my head
Is the Crown of England worth keeping?
What are the drawbacks of the party system?
Do we defend our bad actions with support from the church?
What prevents green actions from realization in a Capitalistic system?
Does the current educational system strive at bring about the needed changes that society requires?
How entrenched is the "establishment" in education?
When I was very young in the sixties I remembered question like these that I no longer hear about. How about you?
Oh great job dropping the exam.. was it too hard to come up with better questions?
Good thoughts Carroll. I don't know if I see the similarity of the Dems & GOP to communism & socialism but I certainly agree with your comparison to religion.
Wow, really good questions, they would make for an interesting book of essays, if we could get anyone to read them.This blog post reminds me of what happened at my university one year. One of the questions for the Philosophy department summer exam was "Is this a question?" One student penned down a reply in five seconds and walked out the door. He received an A plus. What did he write?
"Is this an answer?"
I'm not fibbing, this really happened. The campus was agog with it. Wish I could ace an exam with a one-liner.
Great answer. I'd give him an A plus, too.
This is petering out. It needs to be proofed like gunpowder. I guess grades and exam questions are just not so important anymore. I understand that schools in American are filling up with the best student from India because only a small portion of the top 1% get into the best Indian Universities. Now that leaves less slots for Native Americans and Americans in our own Universities.
If schools become more competitive regarding testing for entry then it would seem to mean our schools fill with Indian students.
Is this not happening?
Maybe we should have an essays like Oxford.
Is it worse to be cruel to a fox than a flea? The depth of this question is intimidating, because although one would be considered insignificant, it is still an important part of the way the world works. In comparison to people, if we took all of the 'fleas' out of society, all we would be left with are power hungry government officials who refuse to listen to anything but dollar bills. Every little part of this life cycle is just as important as the big parts. What if you had a ton of doors in your house, but no windows? You don't realize how important something is until you get rid of it, and in this case, the flea is just as important to this universe as the fox is.
