“To me, physics and philosophy share the same core, just spoken in a different language. Mind & Matter is an attempt to rebridge that gap in an accessible and academically inclusive environment. 

I was inspired to produce this seminar series for three reasons: 

First, I have repeatedly noticed how my peers in physics (often unbeknownst to them) engage with deeper philosophical questions when navigating abstract problems. Similarly, philosophy students are frequently faced with logic-based reasoning and the allure of quantum physics. While I have noticed misconceptions in how certain ideas are addressed and occasional apprehensiveness to engage with unfamiliar modalities (be it mathematical formularism or philosophical argumentation), this doesn’t dampen their enthusiasm to deepen their conceptual understanding. Perhaps this seminar can alleviate some misconceptions that are colloquially accepted about one field from another. Second, I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm from the faculty members running the Philosophy table at the 2025 rendition of the Canadian Conference of Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities (CCUW*iP) and their engagement with visiting delegates—both of which expressed their enjoyment about the opportunity to discuss physics and philosophy with one another. And finally, I see this as a chance to pay homage to both of my undergraduate degrees, the professors, grad students, and fellow undergraduates who have enriched my life with fruitful discussions about the nature of reality — physical and metaphysical alike. I am often met with the question as to why I decided on a combined degree in two seemingly distinct fields. I hope that this seminar demonstrates that they aren’t so different after all. “

”To me, the overlap of physics and philosophy is essential to the pursuit of physics as a study. However, I have found throughout my degree that such a notion is subtly becoming extinct, where we as physics students have stopped asking ourselves the very questions that motivate our field. I believe this to be a great loss, both losing our ability to find reason beyond the fascia of amusing interest and the thinking acumen of physicists of the past. I hope that this seminar series brings the value of polymathy and the inextricably entangled nature of these sister fields to light, such that students may consider their not-so-distant counterparts and consequently engage in higher-order thinking.”

“I am interested in the intersection of philosophy and physics in regards to each discipline’s understanding of the world around us. Physicians tend to adopt a physicalist perspective of the world around us to a highly comprehensive degree, whereas many philosophers tend to de-emphasize physicalist perspectives in their analyses. Both disciplines, I feel, have lots to learn from one another, and fostering a relationship between the two disciplines seems an apt way to start.”

“I believe physics and philosophy are connected through their shared devotion to seeking answers about life and the world around us. However, they diverge in their methods of explanation. Physics investigates the structures, functions, and hidden interrelations of our world; the explanations it produces become foundational to everything that follows. Philosophy, by contrast, in addition to its inquiry into the observable, extends into the metaphysical in an effort to explain what cannot be explained otherwise.

The Mind and Matter seminar demonstrates how these complementary approaches reveal the depth of human inquiry, with physics as the language of matter and philosophy the echo of meaning, together composing the symphony of existence.”

“What draws me to physics is its ability to turn the biggest questions into something we can actually test. In quantum physics and biology, I study how quantum effects might shape life, which naturally leads to philosophical questions about causation, explanation, and meaning. That’s why I am passionate about Mind & Matter: it creates a space where physics and philosophy meet, challenge each other, and refine our understanding of reality. I believe the best insights come when disciplines collide, when philosophers push scientists to think deeper, and scientists push philosophers to stay grounded. That conversation is exactly what this series is about.”

“I’ve found philosophy quite daunting though my life. Always seemed like some sort of complex science that I could never truly understand. Then I took a quantum mechanics class, and I realized that’s what all sciences are.”