A local teenager has brought home the top spot in the University of Toronto’s Aristotle Philosophy Essay Contest.
Eric Fishback, 17, currently attends Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute, and has had a growing interest in philosophy for quite some time. When he decided he wanted to improve his writing skills on the subject, he told CJOY that he and his parents fired up Google looking for nearby contests.
That’s when they came across the contest at the University of Toronto, and began the application process.
Fishback selected one of the three questions and defended his thoughts on the question, “De gustibus non est disputandum —or “there is no disputing about taste.” He wrote a paper called “The Universal Objective Truths of Aesthetics.”
Eric’s essay speaks about the various art forms that we consider “beautiful,” even though they may not share any physical traits.
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“When you compare a Shakespearean sonnet which is often called beautiful to that of a painting that is often called beautiful, there’s no physical thing between them that’s the same, so there has to be some sort of internal connection.”
Fishback’s effort was met with great fanfare as the panel of judges, which consists of U of T faculty members and high school philosophy teachers, touted his as the finest philosophical work by a high school student this year.
Eric topped an 18-year old University of Ottawa student for the top prize, while a 15-year old Grade 10 student from Scarborough placed third.
Eric hopes to follow through with his interest in philosophy after high school and hopes to study the subject at either the University of Toronto, McMaster University in Hamilton, or Queen’s University in Kingston.
The winner of the Aristotle Contest is awarded $500.
You can read Eric Fishback’s “The Universal Objective Truths of Aesthetics” here and find more information about the University of Toronto’s Aristotle Contest winners and honourable mentions here.
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