Undergraduate / Love for mathematics and rational thinking and my newly developed interest in philosophy - Stanford [4]

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.

For this essay, I wanted to connect my love for mathematics and rational thinking to my newly developed interest in philosophy. I also talk about how my newfound appreciation for the humanities, which is important to me as an engineer. I would ideally like help in making the language more clear, although comments on the topic of the essay will also be very helpful. Thank you for reading!

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While I have held a lifelong value for mathematics, engineering, and science, my interest in the humanities only recently developed when I realized how the logic I employ in mathematical problem solving is retained when discussing topics such as morality and politics.

When I first began to learn proof based mathematics, such as abstract algebra, I learned concepts such as proof by contradiction, induction, and logical quantifiers. Soon, I became accustomed to using the definition, theorem, proof method of making assertions within mathematics. These concepts found their place in my physics curriculum, where I found myself having to prove the Euler Lagrange Equations and Neother's Theorem. Within time, proof based mathematics began to constitute my entire concept of rationalization.

Naturally, mathematics began to invade my readings of philosophy. The arguments presented on philosophy papers morphed into the same theorem- proof format mathematics takes. I started listening to people on Youtube debate various topics such as politics and morality and it was clear that the most effective debaters rely on the same definition-theorem-proof method of arguing that is used in math. Only then did I realize that effective argumentation is not restricted to science, it permeates all human scholarship.

Logic never changes, whether it is applied to mathematics or to history or to literature. This realization helped me develop an appreciation for the humanities that did not previously exist. More importantly, it helped me rationalize views of the world that create my sense of purpose and find meaning within the complexity of existence.