One year ago, we were like you—uncertain 1Ls who didn’t have all the answers and knew it. Part of our anxiety came from the supposition that everyone else had the answers, but that we didn’t. If you are feeling that way, take solace: You aren’t that special. Everyone else is just as ignorant and confused as you are, even if they don’t know it yet. The thing about law school is that, here at least, not having all the answers is a good thing.
That idea probably seems confusing right now, because most educational programs stress answers over questions. Law school is different. The Socratic Method is proof of that: Thousands of years ago, when the Oracle of Delphi told Socrates he was the wisest man in Athens, he protested, “But I know nothing!” But that was exactly why he was the wisest—because unlike everyone else, he knew that he knew nothing.
Throughout your classes, we hope that you question your most basic assumptions. Question your assumptions about politics, question your assumptions about law, and question your assumptions about morality. You will grow and learn the most (and do best on your exams) if you adopt this questioning mentality. Like Socrates, the smartest law students are the ones who know that they know nothing.
And as you study, we hope that you also find time to read and to contribute to The Record. For this newspaper belongs to the entire community, and you are now an inseparable part of that community. Contribute to the debate about politics, morality, and law—the societal language of politics and morality. We want to hear your thoughts. Why? Because we know that we don’t have all the answers, but we hope that you can bring us closer to that goal.
We hope you will read The Record at hlrecord.org. But more importantly (and this cannot be stressed enough), we hope you will write for us. Email us at editor@hlrecord.org with your contributions.
Thank you and welcome,
Michael Shammas and Sima Atri
Editors-in-chief of The Record
P.S. –Want to be a staff writer? You are invited to an informal get-together at Cambridge Common on Wednesday, September 10 at 7:15 PM, where you can learn more and get involved!