Tianyi Yuan
My name is Tianyi Yuan, a Providence College (PC) 2020 alumnus majored in theology and philosophy with a minor in classics. I am Chinese. I left my parents and came to study in the US when I was fifteen. I went to a John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers, NY, where I developed a strong interest in Catholicism and other questions such as how to make one a good human person. Then, I came to my first Alma Mater, Providence College, where I had my memorable and self-transformative four years. Now, I am a second year Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where I am making my scholarly dream or “actualizing my potentiality” to be a real scholar. You may find more information about me from another PC webpage (https://news.providence.edu/tianyi-yuan-20-from-china-to-providence-for-the-study-of-god ).
When I was a freshman at PC, I majored in Humanities, which I thought was a fancier way to say that I was “Undeclared.” I added the Theology major at the end of freshman year and switched my other major from the Humanities to Philosophy. So, I used to joke at PC, that I have dehumanized myself in order to philosophize. Later after I graduated, I recognize that perhaps I should call my PC experience “Fides quaerens Intellectum.” Last year, I was humbled and selected as the recipient of “Reverend Thomas Urban Mullaney, O.P. Award” for distinguishing myself in the study of theology at PC and one of the two recipients of the “The Joseph P. Cassidy, O.P. and Class of 1948 Award for Excellent Research in Moral Philosophy.”
Now, I am a Master of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School. I am studying Syriac, an historical Aramaic dialectic still used by some Christian communities, the history and thoughts of Syriac Christianity, and arts of ministry such as pastoral care and ecumenical thinking. I just had my first article “Human Nature, Suffering and Hope: Sino-Christian elements in the Apocalyptic Vision of Hong Xiuquan and the Taiping Tianguo Rebellion of the 19th Century China” published (updating) in Romania and France by IARSIC Les Arcs with my field education supervisor’s generous and kind help.
Technically, I am no longer a philosophy student, but I have never stopped to philosophize, because PC helped me to cultivate to a habit of philosophizing. At Harvard Divinity school, the demand for critical thinking is unforgivingly high, and as students, we have to learn to understand things totally unfamiliar and be patient to ideas contradictory to our own. In a nutshell, my philosophy of PC has been helping me to Harvard-izing.
At Harvard Divinity School, beside learning history and classical languages, I am engaging with contemporary critical, sociological theories and understanding of religion, individualistic mysticism, et cetera. In addition, I have been meeting new classmates, new professors, and new friends of various backgrounds. However, my philosophy education at PC makes me always tell myself 1) “dare to know/Sapere aude;” 2) “an unexamined life is not worthy living by man / ὁ δὲ ἀναξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθτρωπῳ;” and 3) to ask what is the purpose of each step I am striving for. I am always curious, open to others, and I am never shy to ask questions. So, I know that I am becoming closer to the Truth, or truths, every day and even every hour. Although others may disagree with me or even discourage me, I, as “a philosophical friar,” am used to find my own meaning myself, judge for myself, and improve myself. In addition, I know it is my own duty to prove what I rationalize with my own endeavors and actions. Furthermore, I call everyone, whom I encountered, my Socratic companion.
Indeed, just as a rumor says, “you are what you eat,” I hereby am telling you that “I am what I learned” at PC through studying with many wonderful professors and classmates.
Almost all philosophy professors at PC will give you some memorable lessons, but you have to listen to them mindfully and critically, and always work hard to find each of their extraordinary passion to teaching and philosophizing. If I have to recommend with some non-ethical but human favoritism, here is what I would like to say:
I appreciate Fr. Joseph Torchia’s “Medieval Philosophy,” which taught me the concept of the Highest Good. Summum Bonum, the Really Real (!), and the Final cause of all things. From Fr. Torchia, I learned to understand why we, as human beings, need to find or to make meaning. In addition, I deeply admire Fr. Torchia’s penetrating intellect, clear articulation, and inexhaustible care for his students’ intellectual growth.
I am grateful to Dr. Licia Carlson’s “Contemporary Existentialism,” in which I read Sartre’s, Camus’s, and other human-transformative writers’ dystopian literatures and had some of the best conversations I had in my life. With Dr. Carlson’s encouragement, I also wrote my best philosophy paper comparing Wang Yangming and Sartre, with which I earned the aforementioned the “The Joseph P. Cassidy O.P. award.” Most importantly, with Dr. Carlson’s guide, I have been gradually appreciating the often-demonized Sartrean courage. I learned that It is my very duty and commitment to diligently live out my choices and whatever commitments I have chosen out of my radical free will.
During the summer of my sophomore year, I also took Dr. Paul Bruno’s Heideggerian “Philosophy of Art,” I learned to appreciate beauty, good, love, truth, and even human beings from a phenomenological, or a comprehensive, simultaneous, an irreducible perspective. In addition, just as Dr. Bruno has shown us how interesting a philosopher could be through his lectures, he has demonstrated how wonderful a professor could be though his candid respect to his students.
In addition, after I took “Ancient Philosophy” twice (I got one “F” for overloading myself), I learned to call myself an Epicurean Stoic, or a Stoic Epicurean. However, the more my brain get matured, the more willing I call myself an Aristotelian.
Unfortunately, I was a library couch potato at PC, so I have no exciting friar moment of clubs and sports to share with you. However, I was involved in the FriarChoir and the Liturgical Choir for four years. Well, in terms of music, I am Nietzschean, just as I believe, “without music, life will be a mistake.” However, without philosophy, music can be a nonsense.
O my, time flies, tempus fugit, but I often go back to my philosophy experience at PC in my dreams. Whenever I close my eyes after a day of study, I return to my senior year at PC, when I devoted all my attention to write several philosophy papers, which even pleased myself. Allow me, as an alumnus, to utter with my passion rather than sagacious advice: O, my younger and wiser classmates, cherish and enjoy all your experience of and opportunities for philosophizing at PC. Everyone is unique, but it requires all of our enthusiasm and diligence to bring our uniqueness into reality. Dare to make your own choices, dare to work hard in your own ways, and also dare to always improve yourself and transform the quality of your soul and mind.
Providence College is for you. Cherish your opportunities there. Tomorrow, with all your growth and harvest, you shall glory her name.
