PST Officers:
President - Sarah T. Aikins - saikin@mail.csuchico.edu
Name: Sarah Tischler Aikin Year: Senior
What Brought Me to Philosophy?: As a freshman I took a survey course in Philosophy to fulfill one of my GE requirements. I had never felt so alive and turned on by the material covered in a class before in my life. I decided to declare philosophy as my primary major, in spite of the fact that I knew that fame and fortune would never again be a possibility… some things, like doing what you love, are worth fighting for. Philosophy is the only field in which one can reach their ultimate goal every day. The love of knowledge and the unique ways that thinkers across time have answered the most pressing questions never ceases to amaze and infuriate. Once I found philosophy, the thought of pursuing any other profession seemed absurd at best, mental suicide at worst.
Current Interests: In philosophy, I have been and continue to be enthralled by the field of Ethics. The nature and scope of the “Good Life” remains a crucial topic for inquiry in human lives everywhere. I am a double major in Psychology as well, and I believe that the fields of philosophy and psychology would both profit by integrating their modes of inquiry and discovery. As ethics tends to focus on the ways people “ought” to behave, I believe it is very important for ethicists to be informed in regards to the limitations, tendencies, and capabilities of the human mind prior to making prescriptions for the right ways to live and the right values to adopt.
Vice President - Dave M. Ferreira
Hello, this is David. As you’ve probably guessed, I’m currently a member of Phi Sigma Tau, and senior at CSU, Chico. Originally, I had no idea what major I wanted to pursue. Previous to majoring in philosophy I took many different kinds of courses: economics, psychology, geography, sociology, physics, mathematics, political science, computer science, and engineering (in no particular order). I think all of this was invaluable to my career as a student, and life in general—learning about such an array of topics contributed to my intellectual and personal growth. However, I felt and believed that something was missing; I was looking for something else, something not provide-able by the above listed areas of study alone.
Then, at Butte Community College, I took an introduction to philosophy course that helped me develop some critical thinking skills and which gave me a foundation for logic. More importantly, however, as a result of the intro course I began to ask questions about other fields of study, such as those above mentioned. Why, for instance, should anyone seriously consider theories of mathematics or psychology? That is, why should we believe that they reveal any truths about us or our world (universe)? Thus began my entry into a bigger, more complex realm of inquiry—and that is philosophy. Philosophy, among its other characteristics, seems to be that field of study that inquires into fields of study in general. Be not mistaken: I remain significantly interested and concerned with areas of study other then philosophy. But regardless of what field one pursues, after enough pursuit she is bound to approach philosophy from some direction. I believe this is inevitable. For these reasons it seems that anyone serious about one’s field of study must, at some point or another, confront philosophy if he is to have a rich and full understanding of his field. This may occur below the level of awareness of the learner, unless she already has some philosophy background.
So I take philosophy to be not only interesting and important, but essential if we are to come to terms with the vast, complex, diverse universe of which we are parts. These are my beliefs about philosophy, which require philosophy in their formation.
Secretary - Ben Ferraro
Treasurer- Luke Cuddy
Public Relations - Matt Arnold - webmaster contact
Name: Sarah Tischler Aikin Year: SeniorWhat Brought Me to Philosophy?: As a freshman I took a survey course in Philosophy to fulfill one of my GE requirements. I had never felt so alive and turned on by the material covered in a class before in my life. I decided to declare philosophy as my primary major, in spite of the fact that I knew that fame and fortune would never again be a possibility… some things, like doing what you love, are worth fighting for. Philosophy is the only field in which one can reach their ultimate goal every day. The love of knowledge and the unique ways that thinkers across time have answered the most pressing questions never ceases to amaze and infuriate. Once I found philosophy, the thought of pursuing any other profession seemed absurd at best, mental suicide at worst.
Current Interests: In philosophy, I have been and continue to be enthralled by the field of Ethics. The nature and scope of the “Good Life” remains a crucial topic for inquiry in human lives everywhere. I am a double major in Psychology as well, and I believe that the fields of philosophy and psychology would both profit by integrating their modes of inquiry and discovery. As ethics tends to focus on the ways people “ought” to behave, I believe it is very important for ethicists to be informed in regards to the limitations, tendencies, and capabilities of the human mind prior to making prescriptions for the right ways to live and the right values to adopt.
Vice President - Dave M. Ferreira
Hello, this is David. As you’ve probably guessed, I’m currently a member of Phi Sigma Tau, and senior at CSU, Chico. Originally, I had no idea what major I wanted to pursue. Previous to majoring in philosophy I took many different kinds of courses: economics, psychology, geography, sociology, physics, mathematics, political science, computer science, and engineering (in no particular order). I think all of this was invaluable to my career as a student, and life in general—learning about such an array of topics contributed to my intellectual and personal growth. However, I felt and believed that something was missing; I was looking for something else, something not provide-able by the above listed areas of study alone. Then, at Butte Community College, I took an introduction to philosophy course that helped me develop some critical thinking skills and which gave me a foundation for logic. More importantly, however, as a result of the intro course I began to ask questions about other fields of study, such as those above mentioned. Why, for instance, should anyone seriously consider theories of mathematics or psychology? That is, why should we believe that they reveal any truths about us or our world (universe)? Thus began my entry into a bigger, more complex realm of inquiry—and that is philosophy. Philosophy, among its other characteristics, seems to be that field of study that inquires into fields of study in general. Be not mistaken: I remain significantly interested and concerned with areas of study other then philosophy. But regardless of what field one pursues, after enough pursuit she is bound to approach philosophy from some direction. I believe this is inevitable. For these reasons it seems that anyone serious about one’s field of study must, at some point or another, confront philosophy if he is to have a rich and full understanding of his field. This may occur below the level of awareness of the learner, unless she already has some philosophy background.
So I take philosophy to be not only interesting and important, but essential if we are to come to terms with the vast, complex, diverse universe of which we are parts. These are my beliefs about philosophy, which require philosophy in their formation.
Secretary - Ben Ferraro
Treasurer- Luke Cuddy
Public Relations - Matt Arnold - webmaster contact