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Thinking back on the class we had and everything I read in Joan Roughgarden's book, my mind is still swirling with concepts like 'free will' 'diversity' and the need to break out verses the need to compartmentalize. These concepts are at the moment colliding with each other in my head and giving birth to a stream of thoughts, some of will I will share here.

It is my firm belief that diversity - be it physical, mental or any other kind, is a virtue, not only to the future but to our present. Gaining human perspective is imperative to growth, and if something makes you rethink a concept that was once firmly rooted in your mind, I believe that that something is worth exploring - to strengthen your own belief if nothing else.

Free will on the other hand is a tricky concept as far as I know. When we 'choose' something like our gender, sexuality or something basic like which ice cream to eat, we are rarely ever exercising free will. Our choices are always influenced by events, thoughts and experiences that were once prominent in our past. However, if an individual manages to break away from the mould he has allowed himself to sink into and steps away, he will be able to define himself and his beliefs on his own terms - free of any influence. Then, he is exercising his free will.

As you can imagine not many people bother with this type of free will. In fact, people aren't always ready to accept that they are in a mould in the first place. Because accepting that they are in a mould would mean that there is a different world out there, a different way of being, living and existing which is possible. That makes people uncomfortable sometimes, because it shakes their beliefs of 'right' and 'wrong'. We compartmentalize ourselves, our society, our thoughts - it’s just neater that way. So when one thing jumps out of its little box and into another, we are taken aback. This is new. Can we accept it? Should we?

According to roughgarden, not only should we accept it, we should encourage it. Variability is not, as she categorically states, 'a screw up'.  It is her opinion that diversity is a gift, and I have to say I agree.

Although she does get a little defensive when she states her point of view, her need to be that way, consciously or not, is understandable. If, as a reader we manage to get past that, it’s evident that she has some interesting points to state.

It’s like she says 'all butterflies are perfectly good butterflies, even if the abilities of some don’t match the opportunities currently supplied by the environment'