Sacred Souls and Fickle Fools: The House of Wisdom Crisis in the Caliph's Court
Background Guide coming soon!
This committee is a unique council of great minds that shaped human history through ideas, not empires. From the halls of Plato’s Academy to the laboratories of Curie and Lavoisier, and Machiavelli's spars with John Stuart Mill over the ethics of governance, this committee spans centuries of intellectual thought to confront crises that challenge the foundations of reason, ethics, and progress. Delegates will step into the roles of influential philosophers, scientists, writers, and theorists—figures such as Galileo Galilei, Simone de Beauvoir, W.E.B. Du Bois, Hypatia of Alexandria, and Karl Marx. These thinkers will be grouped into Houses of Thought, representing broad philosophical and scientific traditions: rationalism, empiricism, existentialism, postcolonial theory, and more. The crises before you will demand rigorous inquiry and spirited debate: How would the world’s great minds respond to the trial of Galileo under a modern lens? Can scientific discovery remain neutral in the face of moral catastrophe, such as the Manhattan Project or CRISPR gene editing? How do we reconcile conflicting ontologies when logic itself begins to unravel? This is a crisis committee, but not of war or diplomacy. Your weapons are your arguments and your alliances formed through ideas. Conflicts will be abstract, yet urgent: crises of language, morality, and knowledge. This is a space where minds across time converge to defend, disrupt, and redefine the world of ideas.
MAANAS SHAH
ChairHello everyone! My name is Maanas (he/him/his) and I’m a fourth-year from Pleasanton, California majoring in Computer Science with minors in Physics and Data Science. This will be my 10th year in MUN, having done competed somewhat on and off at conferences since 6th grade, and over the years it has grown to become one of the most influential aspects of my time here at Berkeley. I’m can't wait to staff and run this committee alongside Anushka, and I hope you will find its topic as interesting as we do! I've always been fond of court and council type comittees since I believe the dynamics allow for some very interesteding debate (and very fun crisis shenanigans) and I think the "Book of Forbidden Knowledge" will definitely force the court onto their feet very quickly! We can’t wait to see what innovative solutions you guys develop to tackle the otherworldly problem at hand, and what equally mystical hijinks of your own design we’ll see as a result of your crisis arcs! Outside of MUN, I love both playing and designing board games and video games; from quick 30 minute party games to massive day-long strategy marathons, I will take any chance I can get to wrangle my friends into my latest unwise financial decision. Feel free to email me at maanas_shah@berkeley.edu for any committe related questions or to just chat about board games or game design!
Best,MAANAS SHAH
Chair, Sacred Souls and Fickle Fools: The House of Wisdom Crisis in the Caliph's Court
ANUSHKA RAJASEKHAR
Crisis DirectorWelcome to the Quill and Crescent Committee! I’m Anushka, a third-year at UC Berkeley studying Geophysics and Philosophy, and I’m thrilled to be your Crisis Director. I have been dabbling in Model UN since middle school, and joined UCBMUN in my freshman year. Outside of MUN, I enjoy reading classical and philosophical texts, baking, going on tea crawls, and shopping for items I don't need. I’m excited to see how you channel the ideas of philosophers, scientists, and writers to tackle the crisis ahead. Think critically, question deeply, and let your characters come alive.
Best,ANUSHKA RAJASEKHAR
Crisis Director, Sacred Souls and Fickle Fools: The House of Wisdom Crisis in the Caliph's Court