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"The philosophy series of humanities classes at Stevens was like a fifty minute oasis where, instead of practicing recitation, we students were invited to practice cognition instead. By investigating the 'why?' of class content instead of the standard 'what/how' of a technical course, such exercises would lead to greater inspiration for solving the issues at hand in those more technical studies."
James Western
"The college of arts and letters is an invaluable addition to the Stevens community. Not only does it provide students with an escape from their technical courses, CAL empowers them with communication skills that complement and highlight their engineering and science curriculum. Personally, the philosophy courses I took developed my love of thinking, questioning and obtaining knowledge for its own sake. In addition to a foundation in ethics, philosophy introduced me to thinkers who changed my approach to life and allowed me to develop my own theory for living. I know it will help me serve my patients by being a better physician scientist someday."
Natalia Bilchuk '10
Graduate Chemical Biology, minor Philsophy
"As a Physics/Philosophy double-major, I am proud to represent a pair of deeply intertwined, deeply respected disciplines: It is not a trivial fact that physics itself, for the majority of its existence, was both commonly and professionally known as natural philosophy. In every aspect of physics I find the necessity for dialogue with philosophy, just as philosophy is influenced by the discovery and structure of physics (as much out in the field as it is in the minds of Niels Bohr and Fritjof Capra). More than anything else, sitting in philosophy class means a time reserved in my schedule for me to think about some of the most important ideas I will ever encounter. I ponder about the everything from the metaphysical and ontological structure of the universe as well as its physical constitution, the volition and desires of humankind, the concepts of beauty and value and their definitions (if we decide they are needed!), and the relationships between all of these things. With respect to the philosophy of science in particular, I consider the structure and nature of physics and and its cousins, the logical formation of theories and paradigms, questions about the validity character of knowledge, and reasons why phrenology and Freud don’t exactly count. As much as studying philosophy transports me to the “other side” of being and knowledge, it does more to help me see relevance and unity among the sciences and the humanities. If one half of the spectrum can live without the other, it is a weak and maimed existence; for me, philosophy is what breathes life, meaning, and significance into physics, and places science into the context of the fuller, richer aspects of the human journey-- and perhaps illuminates some of these aspects implicit (yet embedded) in the essential art that is true, authentic science."
Joseph Natale '12
Physics and Philosophy
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