Yassine Motaouakkil

Yassine Motaouakkil is a young man at the intersection of multiple worlds and disciplines. Born in Morocco, fluent in French, English and Arabic, he constantly inhabits three different cultural milieus. At ease in all three, he took it upon himself to not only discover what united and differentiated these different narratives and moral systems but also what was involved in their genesis.

To set out on such an endeavour, he majored in Biology, with minors in math and chemistry, and participated in laboratory work on developmental systems. Outside of the STEM environment, he scoured the university library reading the great works ranging from the softer sciences, psychology and sociology, to the more romantically inclined disciplines like literature.

He has extracted from his readings and experiences the following: our societies and lives are best lived as individuals with free will. The collective is best served by people actualizing their potential as they aim to surpass themselves. In addition to individual rights, he hopes to introduce the notion of personal responsibility, the mechanism by which we find meaning in our lives. This call to adventure can prevent us from giving in to our impulsive/nihilistic tendencies and stultifying identification with the state.  

These notions are certainly not new, but they are experiencing renewed interest in the anglosphere; could these timeless ideas still find receptive ears in French or Arabic speaking milieus? The narratives in said milieus have, so far, been collectivist and divisive, with tensions breaking out into bloodshed. A new narrative is long overdue.

Yassine plans on attending medical school next year in the hopes of becoming a psychiatrist.