Hi, I’m Jonah, and I’m a high school student living in NYC. I have always been interested in why people do the things they do. Why do some people make bad decisions, while others don’t? Why do some people devote their lives to charity, while others don’t? Even more simple things, like why do some people like heavy metal music, while others hate it? Growing up, failures or outright refusals from adults to answer my “difficult” questions piqued my interest even more. 

 

In my search for answers, I turned to places in society where the results of these decisions are apparent, the biggest one being the criminal justice system. I began to wonder, if nobody really knows why people make bad decisions, is it fair that we punish them? I also became curious about how the brain functions on both a biological and psychological level, and the factors that influence not only major decisions in our lives but also seemingly insignificant day-to-day ones, like what to eat for breakfast. I was shocked by what I found. For example, “the hungry judge effect,” a term coined after a 2011 study found that hunger had a huge influence on who judges decided to give parole to, and who they didn’t. 

 

Astounded and eager to learn more, I looked to my school for resources, but found that they offer very few philosophy-based courses. Additionally, I was unable to find external resources that gave teens access to information and education pertaining to philosophy. This inspired me to create Philosophy Pioneers, a place where students can come to learn about philosophy, stimulate their interests, and understand themselves—and their own decisions—better.