As an undergraduate at Princeton University, Winston Ou was faced with a life-altering decision: should he pursue English or mathematics? The words of respected English professor Thomas McFarland persuaded him to follow the “path that is rarer” – and that has made all the difference.
Now a tenured professor of mathematics at Scripps College, Ou still embraces his literary roots. Inspired by the words of British philosopher John Stuart Mill, he infuses his love for both topics in his Core and math classes.
“Much of Core is about recognizing fallacies in one’s assumptions about reality,” Ou says. “One could learn the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and then apply it by rote without ever questioning why they should believe it. In Mill’s opinion, however, simply memorizing a fact without being able to defend it against objection – asking “why should I believe that?” – then you don’t have true knowledge, only a superstition handed down to you from above.
“Since participating in the Core program, I’ve tried to begin each class with a quote from Mill’s On Liberty on knowledge and superstition,” he adds. “It seems to shock many students.”
His students approve. “Professor Ou is enthusiastic and brilliant,” says Taryn Ohasi ’13, a mathematics and economics double major. “You can tell he cares about what he’s teaching.”
“I was drawn to math because it’s hard,” Ou says. “There’s a satisfaction that comes from knowing that only if you work hard, you can make progress. Professor McFarland also gave me a quote, the last line from Spinoza’s Ethics.” Ou keeps the handwritten quote – omnia praeclara tam difficilia quam rara sunt – ‘all that is excellent is as difficult as it is rare’ – in a frame in his office.
Ou’s hard work has paid off. A National Science Foundation graduate fellowship recipient, he was also the 2010 Professor of the Year as voted by Scripps students and winner of the 2011 Mary W. Johnson Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching. And through it all, his commitment to the humanities shines through in his love for Scripps and the Core.
“During my interview [for my job], I heard the search committee members describe Core and how it would be a chance to connect mathematics to the humanities,” he says. “I was so excited that I interrupted them and said, ‘Just hire me!'” Ou participated in Core I in 2007 and 2008; this fall Ou is teaching a new Core III, “Women, Girls, and Mathematical Superstitions.”
A harmonious blend of two philosophies of study. Sometimes a rare path diverged meets itself again further down the road.