Yale University - Banner / Pot Pourri Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

Page 13 text:

The professor presents his material deftly, taking time to answer questions from the floor as they arise. Students sit back to listen, then wonder, then smile in turn. Having begun with a chalk drawing and the simple statement, K'This is a childf' he has hy now progressed to the more concrete fact of discipline: . . . if you must, quickly and on the bottomf, The class laughs, yet will remember the point made by NVILLIANI KESSEN, Professor of Psychology.

Page 12 text:

In 1951 his individual scholarship was recognized by his appointment as Eugene Higgins Professor. Now it was Henry Margenau, the philosopher of science, who spoke: Pure philosophy is no longer useful. Philosophy must have an object. Philosophy as such or metaphysics practiced in the blue or vacuole hasn't any real signifi- cancef, Professor Margenau quickly cited the first problem he dealt with as a philosopher of science-determinism. Ac- cording to Newton and the empiricists, the universe was carefully ordered, and the laws of physics were absolute. Modern quantum theory shattered Newtonis absolute universe, and for philosophy the implications of Heisen- bergs Uncertainty Principle, Professor Margenau as- serted, Were profound. Determinism was shattered, man was free to shape his own destiny. The meaning of truth itself now floats in a limbo of uncertainty.

Page 14 text:

Undergraduate education on the level that Yale is involved in it contains some inherent conflicts of in- terestfl 'iUndergraduates too often fail to realize that the faculty has a responsibility to their professional area beyond the students and this University, and the faculty too often forget that a significant part of education takes place in the extracurricular interests of studentsfl Part of the responsibility for resolving this conflict lies with Mr. Kessen in his official function. The best indication of his success is his ability to combine the qualities of teacher, scholar, and adminis- trator, and still fire many of his students with enthusiasm. Perhaps it is, as one student suggested, by force of example. Returning to the University of Florida, he received his B.A. in Psychology, before proceeding to Brown for the Ph.D. At Brown 'The close-knit atmosphere of the . . . department provided for an extremely intimate inter- action between faculty and students, one that left a lasting impressionf, Following his thesis adviser to Yale, Mr. Kessen began the post-doctoral research that initi- ated his interest in human development. This led initially to studies of perception and sticking in the Hrst days of life, then to a consideration of the interaction between environment and innate capacities in the growth of childrenls intelligence. Over the years my orientation has become one of being more and more aware of the size ofthe problemf, One of the problems Xlr. Kessen faces is symbolized by the Institute of Human Relations, where he has his office. The building, cold and austere, is at a distance from most undergraduates, and might seem the epitome ofa research scholar's hideaway were it not for the bustle and almost electric warmth found around the offices on the second floor. There Professor Kessen shows the veggie I2