![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The philosopher Isaiah Berlin popularized this distinction in a 1953 essay. The hedgehog, however, responds the same way to every threat: it rolls up into a ball. Greek poet and warrior, who said, “a fox knows many things, but a hedgehog one important thing.” When threatened, the fox remains flexible, coming up with a clever way to deal with that particular matter. Now, this is a distinction attributed to Archilochus, the seventh century B.C. Reflecting on the goal for the course reminded me of the story of the fox and the hedgehog. I was thinking about Great Big Ideas over the summer. My friend described the educational impact of the course as “a mile wide and an inch deep.” ![]() Then they came to class ready to debate each week’s “big idea.” By the end of the course, they had become conversant in major debates and questions in art history, political philosophy, evolutionary biology, and other fields. For homework, they watched video lectures delivered by various experts and read primary sources. Good morning and welcome-to my colleagues here on stage, to the family members who are with us today, and most of all, to the Class of 2021! And a special shout-out to Marvin Chun, beginning his first year as the new dean of Yale College.Ī few years ago, I helped a friend-a member of the Yale College Class of 1982, in fact-teach a Yale College seminar called “Great Big Ideas.” Each week, students in the seminar considered a “big idea” from a different field of study. ![]()
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