Dear YSM Readers,
I write to you as the Archivist of the Yale Scientific Magazine to introduce our first Archival Newsletter. This newsletter highlights specific themes that emerge from articles found in the archives of the Yale Scientific Magazine, from our first issue in 1894 to the present day. It is with great pleasure that I present our first edition to you below.
Science and the Humanities
“Body, Mind, and Science” – October, 1960
By: Brand Blanshard, Sterling Professor of Philosophy, Yale University
“On The Relevance Of Philosophy To Mathematics And The Sciences” – January, 1961
By: Stephen Körner, Professor of Philosophy, Bristol University, Bristol, England, Yale University
“Science and Art” – March, 1961
By: Douglas C. Berggren, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Yale University
“Science, the Nation, and the University” – April, 1961
By: Abraham A. Ribicoff, Secretary, United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
“Science and Society” – April, 1961
By: Caryl P. Haskins, President, Carnegie Institution
“Ethics and Science” – February, 1964
By: Yale Scientific Magazine Editorial Board
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Science and the humanities. The former is characterized by empirical experimentation, objectivity, and tangibility; the latter, by artistic expression, subjectivity, and intangibility. Here at Yale, this ideological divide is superimposed on the physical campus. “Science Hill” is the stomping ground of scientists and engineers. Under sterile laboratory lighting, students titrate, swing pendulums, and build complex machines. On the other side of campus, the Humanities Quadrangle presents a different world—a space that nurtures writers, artists, and performers. The rhythmic sounds of keyboard clicking, the familiar soundtrack to the editing process, echo through the libraries, and student art is displayed in quads and common spaces.
Given all this, it would appear somewhat illogical to mix these two disciplines. For centuries, though, scientists and humanistic thinkers, from Plato to Stephen Hawking, have done just that. At Yale, where interdisciplinary study is emphasized and the promise of and is a pedagogical hallmark, this holds especially true. The Yale Scientific Magazine, founded in 1894 by students at the Sheffield Scientific School, exemplifies Yale’s celebration of interdisciplinary pursuits. With a long history of communicating scientific findings to a wide audience, the Yale Scientific Magazine strikes a delicate, purposeful balance between the humanities and sciences.
In this Archival Newsletter, we spotlight six articles from the 1960s, each touching on the importance of bridging the gap between STEM and art, philosophy, ethics, and politics. While the sciences and humanities are both powerful in their own right, the synthesis of these two creates a symbiotic relationship that holds great opportunity for intellectual growth and exciting discoveries.
As you read, skim, or browse the titles of these articles in your lab, in the stacks, on Science Hill, or on Cross Campus, I encourage you to think about this integrative approach to academics, to consider its long history at Yale, and, most importantly, to enjoy.
Sincerely,
Matthew Blair, Archivist
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The digitization of the Yale Scientific Magazine would not be possible without the help of our supporters. This project is the culmination of efforts between the Yale Science and Engineering Association (YSEA); Yale Printing and Publishing Services (YPPS), who led the digitization operation; the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library; the Yale Library System; and Benjamin Franklin College. Special thanks to Milton Young and Joseph Cerro of YSEA; Patricia Smith and her team at YPPS; Lindsay Barnett, Bethany Seeger, Michael Lotstein, Jeanne Lowry, and Melissa Grafe from the Yale Library System; and Head Jordan Peccia and Maria Bouffard of Benjamin Franklin College. This project demonstrates the truest sense of and at Yale.