Dear Reader,

Something I have found unique to each of my semesters at Hillsdale is often how specific themes connect between different classes. I like to think of these themes as if they were threads weaving together pieces of knowledge from each of my classes, but the tapestry to which they are being woven into will not be revealed until the end of the semester. This fall, I have found the theme to be focused on the idea of teleology, or that to which all things aim. Whether it be discussing the telos of education in Philosophy of Education, the telos of art in Renaissance to Modern Art History, or the telos of literature and why we write in Reformation to Romantic British Literature, I have found an eerily similar emphasis placed on teleology in each of these disciplines.

The question of teleology has led me to ponder, however, what is the aim we have for many of the seemingly mundane things we do? You, reader, woke up this morning, came up the hill, and somehow, this odyssey of a day has led you on(for what is each day of our lives if not an odyssey?), found your way to holding this magazine at this very moment in your life, and you have been patient enough to read through my ramblings thus far. What is the aim to which you seek in doing so? Why did you pick up and read this edition of The Forum? Was it the luring graphic design of the cover? Did someone else give it to you? Perhaps your friend wrote an article? The heart of the question might just be this: why do we write and why do we read what others write? It seems that the human soul, held in this quaint frame, was, through the Logos that spoke forth Creation, designed with that same desire to create. Creation with language is one of the most natural things man can do. We write out of an innate desire to imitate our Creator through language. We write to explore Creation. We write to participate in our humanity. We write to share in this endeavor of life that each one of us is blessed to be a part of at the same time in the course of history.

So, as you take a few minutes out of your day, I hope that you find this participation in our community to be fruitful and edifying. Enjoy reading The Forum’s first professor dialogue where we discuss with Dr. Franklin the nature of Jesus as Healer. Consider the significance of public libraries with Caitlin Filep, contemplate the moral nature of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings with Dr. Steele, immerse yourself in the creative writing of Aiden Jones’ short story Storm Over Kraków, and much more. We hope this time of pause inspires you to go write and create as a fellow member of God’s Creation. 

Enjoy the musings, prose, and dialogue,

~ Gray Turner, Editor-in-Chief