GCVI student named Canada’s brightest high school philosopher

October 17, 2018

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GUELPH, Ontario – A student at Guelph CVI has been honoured as one of the best and brightest high school philosophers in Canada.

Eric Fishback is the winner of the University of Toronto’s Aristotle Contest. The annual philosophy essay contest honours the finest philosophical work by high school students in Canada. The contest also gives students the opportunity to have their work evaluated by the largest post-secondary Department of Philosophy in North America.

Eric’s essay, “The Universal Objective Truths of Aesthetics,” was selected as the finest philosophical work by a high school student in Canada this year.

Contest participants were required to write an essay that tackles one of three questions posed by the contest organizers. Students were to develop and defend a position in response to the chosen question. Essays were judged according to several criteria including quality, depth, originality of thought, organization of ideas, and clarity of expression.

Eric’s essay defends his response to the question:

“De gustibus non est disputandum—there is no disputing about taste, as the old saying has it. Well, is it true? Are there objective truths about beauty and other aesthetic matters? Or are all such judgments merely subjective?”

Eric said the contest helped him hone is philosophical writing skills. He plans on studying philosophy in university next year.

For more information on the University of Toronto’s Aristotle Contest winners, visit the U of T’s website: http://philosophy.utoronto.ca/news/aristotle-contest-high-school-philosophers/

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