“The Harman Academy was a space I'd go to meet students who were curious, critical, and kind. I met some of my closest friends at the academy.” ~Shradha Jain, Harman Fellow 2019
“I admittedly first stumbled on the academy as I was in search of free pizza but found the talks to feed a different type of hunger that kept me returning. I am very grateful for this space and the people I met in it.” ~Genevieve Melkonian Harman Fellow 2017
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”~Ancient Hebrew Proverb
Aristotle postulated that friendship was a fundamental requirement for the good life. He probably borrowed this idea from his polymathic predecessor Pythagoras (circa 550 BCE) who said, “friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life.” Eight years ago, Professor of Philosophy Ed McCann led a discussion on the meaning of friendship and the “good life”, and our Harman Fellows voted overwhelmingly that it was one of their favorite sessions. Professor McCann will join us again on the topic, but this time fueled by the perspectives of our fellows’ thoughts on friendship through their experience in the Academy.
The past decade has proven that the Harman Academy draws an amazingly diverse students through its doors—every discipline, talent, skill set, perspective, and interest has been represented. Upon reflection though, Harman Fellows like Shradha above noted specific commonalities among their cohorts who were drawn to the pizza sessions—USC polymath students were curious, critical thinkers, judgement free and kind. One of our fellows sent this to us:
“With each polymathic session or event, I left feeling better equipped to tackle issues of today, build connections with my peers, and with a deeper understanding of the society around me. There was something very comforting about finding myself in a room full of similarly curious people – who brought vast amounts of knowledge to the table – to listen, learn, and discuss.” ~Stephanie Saisi, Harman Fellow 2019
Pythagoras and Aristotle told us that friendship is essential to a rich and fulfilling life and our polymaths tell us why. Come join the discussion and add your thoughts; and remember, you’re among friends.
