What Kind of Beautiful Mind Do You Have?

By: Zoe Samuel

6 Min Quiz

Image: Qi Yang/Moment/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Human beings are endowed with one of the most powerful tools in all of nature. Eagles may have incredible eyesight, tigers may have irresistible strength, and spiders may be able to create death webs that are also homes with their spinnerets, but we have the human brain, the most powerful hunting and survival tool created by nature. It's so powerful that we don't even think of it or its products as a result of nature, but something else, something distinctly human.

The human mind is what makes us the apex predator on this ball of rock, and it allows us to learn, invent, and pass on our wisdom in ways no other species does. We've even intervened in the evolution of other species, breeding dogs, horses, cows, and even bananas as we like them. The human mind invented the aircraft. The human mind landed on the moon. The human mind split the atom.

Of course, the mind can be turned to good or evil. Humans have been responsible for at least as much ugliness as beauty, and our capacity for both is one of the things that marks us as having free will, and what makes the choice to do good so laudable, especially when the option to do evil is often easier. Do you ever wonder if you have a beautiful mind? Take this quiz and find out.

Which western philosophy do you most enjoy reading about?

Existentialism - The highest virtue is to remain true to and live in accordance with your values and beliefs

Thomism - The truth is the truth, and there's no point in denying it, no matter the source of the truth
The Guide for The Perplexed - Reconcile what we know of science with our faith and beliefs

Phenomenology - All acts are motivated by and related to real things in the real world

What would you take with you on a vacation to the middle of nowhere?

Binoculars

A drone
A DSLR

Simple things we have in major cities that no one seems to have there, but are useful, especially medical stuff

How would you describe your work desk?

It's a bit chaotic, with a photo of my beloved family, which brightens it up.

So neatly organized, you'd never know I used it
A total mess

Covered with photos of people I know

Which of these best describes your circle of friends?

Deep thinkers

Smart people
Divergent thinkers

Thoughtful souls

What breed of dog would you have?

Boxer

Dachshund
Labrador

Pug

How did you pick the bag in which you transport your laptop?

I found one that was utilitarian, but also interesting looking.

I got the cheapest one that got the job done.
I purchased one that worked, but was also stylish and different.

I got a used one from a thrift store.

Which weird style of dress do you instinctively find most appealing?

Silver jumpsuits, like what people in the 1950s thought the future would look like

Grays, blacks, and blues, in the mold of Steve Jobs
Utilitarian with specks of paint and other evidence of projects undertaken

I always like the old WW2 Red Cross uniforms.

What is the highest virtue to which a human being can aspire?

To really see things, not just look at them

To reach one's intellectual potential
To leave a unique and lasting legacy

To be remembered fondly by those one leaves behind

If you could take a year long sabbatical, which of these activities would you pick as your activity while you had time off?

Backpack through a desolate region of the world

Take an academic course at a major university
Live in an artist commune

Work on a local campaign or with a grassroots organization

How do you take part in your local community?

I try to preserve its history.

I support local institutions that might otherwise disappear.
I volunteer with an after school program

I work with a local grassroots organizing community.

Which of these movies do you find the most inspiring?

Best of Enemies

The Imitation Game
Waking Life

12 Years A Slave

What word do you hope your friends and family use to describe you when you aren't around?

Insightful

Genius
Funny

Good

If you were to write a multi-volume book, on which subject would you write?

The roots of our preconceptions about the world

A subject on which I am an expert
How I access my "zone" for work

How people are less different than we imagine

What is your greatest fear?

Blindness

Losing my wits
Overwhelming depression

Impotence to affect change in the wider world

Which of these careers in healthcare do you find the most appealing?

Psychotherapist

Brain Surgeon
Plastic Surgeon

General Practitioner

What do you like about watching a live magic act?

It's beautiful to watch.

It's a puzzle for me to solve.
Illusions can be really inspirational.

I love it when a magician calls a kid up on stage and makes them the wizard.

Which subject were you drawn to when you were a student?

Philosophy

Math
Arts

History

You're driving in the countryside and see a dog on the side of the road. It has a collar, but looks sick and neglected. What would you do?

Roll down the window and see if it respond in a friendly way to my voice

Find the local pound and let them know about it
Offer it whatever food I've got on hand to see how it reacts

Open the door to my car and try to get the dog to get in

How do you feel when you hear someone misappropriate an expression, like when someone says "I could care less" when they mean "I could not care less?"

I think "Hey, that's how language evolves, right?"

It really gets under my skin.
I never notice that stuff.

I'm tolerant of that sort of thing.

How do you entertain yourself when you have to sit still for a long time, for example on a long flight?

I look out the window and listen to music.

I read a non-fiction book.
I write or draw in a book.

I comfort passengers who are afraid of flying.

How did you go about painting your home?

I found colors that complement the furnishings I plan on having.

I hired someone and had them use the cheapest, most neutral color.
Every room is a different color, and there is a fresco.

The colors of paint in my home are really calm and complement the lighting.

How would you respond if a friend came to you in tears, saying that something bad happened to them?

Let them talk

Tell them to cheer up
Try to find a solution to the problem

Just be a shoulder to cry on

Which of these activities are you most likely to be doing when you lose track of time?

Stargazing

Reading
Working

Talking to someone

Which of the following natural wonders do you find most appealing?

Volcanoes

The Grand Canyon
The Northern Lights

Mammalian childbirth

When you see a new gadget for the first time, what is your first thought?

Okay, fine.

So cool!
Neat, but what if it were different in this one way...

Do I really need this?

If you had a million dollars you could direct to any purpose other than benefiting you directly, what would you do with it?

Give it to the National Park Service

Donate it to a university
Fund an arts program where there wasn't one

Donate it to Black Lives Matter or another POC-led organization

If you didn't have to sleep, what would you do with all that extra time?

Go to all those lectures, marches and events I respond "maybe" to on social media

Earn another degree or two
Engage in the creative projects for which I just don't seem to have time

Help my friends with the things they feel they can't do on their own

What Japanese philosophical concept do you find most appealing?

Wabi sabi, the idea of the beauty of the imperfect

Zanshin, the concept of the mind as totally focused without losing sight of all other things
Shoshin, the concept of the beginner's mind, or the idea that to remain an expert, one must never assume one knows all

Katsujinken, the "life giving sword," which is the idea of a strength that, by its very existence, prevents conflict from ever happening

What's your philosophy on your own appearance?

Don't overdo it. Just make a few little statements with the details.

I don't care at all.
I have a very personal "look."

I try not to look intimidating.

How would you donate your time, if an organization asked you to?

I'd organize people to agitate for a better world.

I'd develop a powerful database for them.
I'd write grants.

I'd want to work with people.

7 Minute Quiz 7 Min

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