2011 High-Phi Essay Contest

Molly Earner, an 11th Grader at Trinity School at Meadow View, was recently selected the winner of the first annual "High-Phi" essay contest created by the Philosophy Department of the University of Virginia. At a ceremony this past Saturday, April 23, 2011 at the Balz Library in Cocke Hall on the campus of UVa, Molly was honored as the winning essayist by Mitchell S. Green, Distinguished Teaching Professor of the UVA Department of Philosophy and Director of the High-Phi Program.

The High-Phi Program was started by Professor Green in 2008 and is supported by grants from the Squire Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia . The Program is intended to stimulate the study of philosophy at the high school level throughout the United States. High-Phi hopes to directly engage students, teachers and administrators in broadening high school philosophical studies through a variety methods.

The High-Phi Essay contest initiated this Spring was open to all high school students in the state of Virginia. Students were given the option of choosing among four topics outlined by the UVA staff. These topics included Personal Identity, Moral Motivation, the "Experience Machine" and the Absurd. The High-Phi Staff provided background on each question and recommended readings to support research for the response.

Molly Earner responded to the question regarding Moral Motivation. She included references as wide ranging as Woody Allan, Dostoevsky and Plato in supporting her paper which was entitled "Investing the World with Meaning."

During the program Professor Green announced that another essay contest will be held next year and may expand to include participation beyond Virginia to a multi-state area. He also highlighted the Epic Questions Institute being held this July for interested teachers to help bring philosophical studies back to their high schools.