Some Questions Regarding Life (SQRL)

I’m back with Daniel Hulse, who reflects on life and love with the same depth he brings to guiding students. In this second part of our conversation, we zoom out: are humans truly unique, or just another animal with fancier tools? Episode in a 🌰: We explore the biology and philosophy of what makes us human — from parental instincts and animal mourning rituals to birth control, AI, and whether dol...

I’m joined by Daniel Hulse, who until recently was Associate Director of College Counseling at Mercersburg Academy. Beyond guiding students, Mr. Hulse has spent years reflecting on what love, compromise, and authenticity really mean — in marriage, work, and family. Episode in a 🌰: In this first part of our conversation, we put aside the central question and instead dive into love. In all its ever...

In part 2 of my conversation with Paul Galey, we shift from imagination to choice. If AI can think, adapt, and maybe even imagine, what’s left that makes us human? Episode in a 🌰: We dive into Viktor Frankl’s idea that our will to choose defines us, and test it against the rise of artificial intelligence. Can a machine ever claim humanity? What happens if technology evolves faster than our philos...

I meet with Paul Galey -- teacher, former school minister, and creator of Mercersburg Academy’s Nature and Meaning course -- during the summertime, the best time to talk philosophy. Episode in a 🌰: We focus on a magical concept: imagination. Is imagining uniquely human? We explore how it fuels both Einstein’s physics and Buddhist philosophy, and where it touches Descartes and dolphins. We wonder:...

I’m joined by Judge Shawn Meyers, President Judge of Pennsylvania’s 39th Judicial District. Beyond the courtroom, Judge Meyers is a thoughtful mentor whose perspective bridges law, philosophy, and lived experience. Episode in a 🌰: We talk about a myriad of answers to the question: foresight, invention, unpredictability, and the quest for objectivity. Along the way, we compare human reasoning to A...

I'm with Ari Goldman, professor emeritus of journalism at Columbia University and former New York Times reporter. He has spent decades teaching and writing about the intersection of storytelling, faith, and empathy. Episode in a 🌰: We explore the tension between objectivity and empathy in journalism, the purpose of telling other people’s stories, and how faith traditions can expand our perspe...

Part two of my conversation with Mike Conklin turns to education, art, and community. The common thread is the value of process. Episode in a 🌰: We discuss grades, art, social media, and Saturday Night Live, asking whether shortcuts are erasing the process that makes us most human. From Ship of Theseus to mortality keeping us grounded, we linger on creativity, collaboration, and the joy of being...

In this first half of my conversation with Mike Conklin, we drift into fields related to the central question such as consciousness and AI. Episode in a 🌰: We start by diving into the reason behind asking the question, and then look at reasons vs passions, AI's "consciousness," the loss of human connections, and how these trends are reflected in the college process for students. In...

Welcome back to SQRL season 2! Today I'm with longtime Mercersburg teacher David Bell to look at the central question of season 2: What makes a human, human? Episode in a 🌰: From empathy and altruism to Kant, Peter Singer, and even Tom Cruise, we trace the gray spaces between selfishness and selflessness. Along the way, we detour into puns, lobsters, and whether dolphins might secretly be more hu...

Before diving into Season 2 of SQRL, join me for a cinematic recap of the questions that made up Season 1. From debating grades and success to wrestling with pain, privilege, God, authenticity, and music, each highlight brings back the voices of friends and classmates who wondered out loud together. Season 1 ended not with answers, but with questions that we ask and discuss together. Now, Season 2...

It's a cozy Monday night with Mr. Frank Betkowski and most of the crew: Lilly Killinger, Jessica Dang, Annie Mohr, and Cole Piraino. Let's see if we can make music philosophical. Episode 9 in a 🌰: How can two people who grow up together like different music? Can music be meaningful without being political? We look at milieu and the role of sadness and dopamine in what we listen to. It gro...

I'm back with Elie Shimaoka to explore mysterious aspects of life. Episode 8B in a 🌰: Human's capacity to be objective, the experience of joy vs. the feeling of joy, and the divine nature of nature: we talk a little more about life's surprises. Along the way, we look at some hypothetical and real situations (like AI). TIMESTAMPS: [00:00:19] Self-awareness through struggle [00:04:12] F...

I talk with my best friend Elie Shimaoka on why it's so hard to be yourself, especially around other people. Episode 8A in a 🌰: First impressions. Self-conscious thoughts. What is it like to be authentic? Elie and I open up about the faces we wear, the overthinking, and our elusive feeling of chemistry that can’t be explained by language, culture, or even shared values. TIMESTAMPS: [00:00:33]...

We're back in the Socratic forum with your familiar crew. I'm with Annie Mohr, Lilly Killinger, Yule Kwon, Cole Piraino, Jessica Dang and joined by Ryan Du Plessis and Arnav Rao. We talk burnout and competition, and the difference between winning and not losing. Episode 7 in a 🌰: We look at the fear of being a "try‑hard," genuine versus strategic compliments, and the line betwee...

In this quiet episode, I ponder with An Yan on whether humans are inherently greedy, transitioning to progress in life. Episode in a 🌰: From genetically modified bananas to monkey economics, from gender inequality to the structure of societies, An and I wade through hard-hitting questions: Are humans naturally selfish? Can society function without leaders? Why strive for perfection if it’s unreac...

In part two of this outdoor conversation, me and the same curious crew look at morals, beliefs, and God. Episode in a 🌰: Do we all have the same morals? What’s the difference between a belief and a value? Why do bad things happen to good people? This episode turns personal and philosophical as the group reflects on religion, altruism, and whether doubt might actually make belief stronger. Chirp c...

We're in the first part of "In the Company of Birds and Doubt," a precious two-part discussion outdoors. I'm joined by the crew Annie Mohr, Cole Piraino, Lilly Killinger, Yule Kwon, plus one new member, Jessica Dang, to debate bias, morality, and how we make hard choices. Episode in a 🌰: Should we live by reason or emotion? Is altruism real, or evolutionary self-preservation in disguise? Is “evil...

I chat with my friend and 1W buddy Janie Miller to ask the question that plagues highschool students: is the straight-A, resume-builder grind really worth it if you’re miserable along the way? Episode in a 🌰: We start with means vs. ends and talk about genuine fulfillment, from skipping physics because it sparks zero joy to choosing low-paying but meaningful work like teaching. We try and find th...

The deepening conversation closes with new members Katie Lee, Asami Puff, Kyle Hwang, and joining us at the end - Imangali Zhakan and Mr. Kerr (resident philosophy teacher). As before, I'm with the old crew: Annie, Yule, Cole, and Lilly. We take a raw, unfiltered dive into our school Mercersburg, an extended look into privilege, empathy, and whether good intentions are ever enough. Episode in...

The movie room turns into a Socratic forum. I am again with Yule Kwon, Annie Mohr, Lilly Killinger, and Cole Piraino, focused on the central question: Are we morally responsible for the underprivileged? Episode in a 🌰: The group debates what being morally good is like in a world with inequality. From Peter Singer to Elon Musk, they explore whether caring is enough, or if true morality demands rea...

Since the last episode, intrigued students have peeked through the window and joined the ragtag group. I talk with Yule Kwon, Annie Mohr, Lilly Killinger, and Cole Piraino about gas chambers, peppers, and the geometry of pain. Episode in a 🌰: From Ursula K. Le Guin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas to Viktor Frankl’s “heart as a gas-chamber” metaphor, we look at how to quantify pain. Highl...

I sit down with classmates Yule Kwon and Elie Shimaoka to ask about discipline. What keeps us running when we run out of motivation? Is it possible that pain might actually be a blessing in disguise? Episode in a 🌰: From 6:30 a.m. swim sets to Camus’s Sisyphus , we go from how we personally keep going to the uneasy idea that knowledge itself can hurt, even as it enlightens. A startling takeaway:...

In the second episode, I invite Shelly Shen to a slow, deliberate conversation on means, ends, and the purpose of life. Episode 2 in a 🌰: Is getting good grades the goal—or just a step along the way? From college apps and parental pressure to Pixar's Soul , astrophysics, and creative writing, this episode explores what it means to live with purpose—or without one. Expect an honest, sometimes...

In our very first episode, I sit down with An Yan, a junior at Mercersburg Academy. Episode 1 in a 🌰: 1. Means vs Ends Are we doing things in high school because of genuine interest, or just to add to our college resume? Is college just the stepping stone to a job? 2. Passion vs Practicality Should we follow what we love, or choose a major based on what’s “useful”? STEM vs Humanities? Is philosop...