Brightworks 2.0

Is it possible to see a mind at work? The Fairness arc suggests that it is.For the last two weeks we’ve been interviewing each of the students about his or her perceptions of fairness, and the depth and seriousness of their answers—and of their efforts to arrive at answers—come across on the video rather vividly. After the tangible certainties of Salt, Fairness is proving more elusive.You can see in their faces and hear in their careful choice of words the complexities these very young ethicists and philosophers are navigating en route to an opinion. And where they end up is often surprisingly thoughtful and nuanced.Natasha, for example, links fairness with equality and makes a conceptual leap to the injustice of homelessness that sounds remarkably like the awakening of a political consciousness.Quinn also associates fairness with equality but makes a distinction between equal opportunity and equal outcomes—makes it fresh right in front of our eyes:Max gives us a tour of his own evolving thoughts on fairness and his evolving feelings about this challenging arc:As the kids move into their Declarations this week we’re looking forward to seeing how these subtleties and moral complexities emerge in actual projects—in short, how young minds-at-work turn abstract thoughts and values into action.