Knowledge
As part of my personal journey working on Knowledge, Fortitude, Dignity, I thought hard about what knowledge should be part of it. It had to be about 'real' things, what the world actually consists of (living beings, matter) and not systems humans created (law, accountancy).
It should cover both humans as biological beings and humans as conscious beings, and allow us to understand both what we are and what is worthwhile to pursue.
Working on my ideas and moving to Utrecht (which has a university with faculties covering a wide range of topics), I settled for these three areas of study:
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Biology and Geology. Even though these are different faculties at the university even today, life on earth cannot be understood without the non-living processes (e.g. vulcanism, tectonics, water and carbon cycles, etc.). I arrived just in time to enroll in the newly formed study of Biogeology (now called earth, climate and life), which was also the reason why I switched from Wageningen to Utrecht.
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History. No better way to learn about humanity and the world we live in today than to study the past. What did our ancestors do? Why? What patterns emerge? It is humbling to learn about the struggles, follies and victories of our predecessors, and it sure helps develop the much needed perspective that today's achievements are great treasures we are very lucky to have (also see Happiness as a state).
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Philosophy. Originally I focused only on ethics, but the philosophy of science is also very important. I feel that if you don't seek it out yourself and just stick to e.g. the Biology curriculum (at least as it was in my time), the university actually does a pretty poor job exposing you to the fundamentals of science which are critical to appraise the value of what you're taught in all those courses. Anyway, it is vital that you consider what makes for a good life for both yourself and others. And not considering myself a religious person and with no allegiance to any faith, I decided that studying ethics was the best choice to explore these questions. That said, I did read a lot about ethics in religions as well but not as part of any curriculum but my own.
I ended up studying all three, mastering in Biology and Applied Ethics with a minor in History before deciding I had enough of Academia. Studying at the university is one thing, but real life quite another. You end up specializing more and more, learning even more about even less, and it started to feel sterile for me. But all the hard work and time spent was worth it. Critical to becoming the person I am today, and generating the thesis that is now at the heart of this site.