Wine and Philosophy

One of the best parts of the study tour is the opportunity to talk to really smart people. A large majority of the 50 or so students on the tour are graduate students. This can make for some insightful conversations. The last two days, a group of us (consisting of different members each day) have stayed up discussing topics such as Canadian multiculturalism, Quebec separatism, media bias and religion in schools until the wee hours of the night. It makes for some fantastic discussions.

Part of this comes from the fact that we’re all so diverse. And not in the traditional Canadian “we-all-come-from-different-cultural-backgrounds” way—though that is true here too—but diverse academic backgrounds as well. There are the standard political science majors and European studies majors. But then there are the more “exotic” mixes: international relations students specializing in security studies sitting beside economics majors; a woman with a PhD in plant biology and an MBA asks questions alongside a migration specialist; and finally the journalists whose eyes glaze over when the discussion gets too theoretical.

We’re also from different geographical perspectives: Quebeckers and Ontarians, people from BC, an Albertan and a young woman from Nova Scotia. As you can imagine, it leads to interesting perspectives on certain issues. Somehow, there is also wine involved, but I think that just sharpens the mind.