CONTRARIWISE

"I received the journal. When I first opened it from its packaging and saw the cover, I knew the amount of time and devotion that you, the editors, and editorial staff put into this. I am very pleased to see this continuing and constantly outdoing itself. I'm also happy to see that the math proofs lived on in this issue. Anyways, I am so proud of the people involved in this who either joined or stuck with it from the beginning. This is truly amazing."

— Nicholas Pape, founding co-editor-in-chief and current MIT undergraduate, March 6, 2016.

"A group of New York City students have taken on an ambitious venture: a finely produced journal, with 128 pages of dialogues, essays, letters, diaries, poems, roundtable discussions, questions, commentary, and art on philosophical topics ranging from time to tyranny. Here's the kicker: these aren't lit kids. They're science kids at Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, & Engineering. Not fuzzies, but techies. We keep hearing how kids have to be engaged with gimcracks and videogames and teaching techniques that include smartphones. It's cheering to see a few kids buck the trend. This kind of thoughtfulness is the very essence of the humanities, after all."

— Cynthia Haven, "NYC Techie Kids Buck Trend, Take On Humanities," The Book Haven (Stanford University), March 11, 2014.

"You and your editorial colleagues are to be congratulated. Your achievement and the hard work required to produce it are most commendable. It was an honor to receive the inaugural edition and a pleasure to read the variety of thoughtful and witty contributions. The articles inspire great confidence in the potential of your generation."

— Samuel Hope, Executive Director Emeritus, Council of Arts Accrediting Associations

"If only there had been a Contrariwise when I was a teenager!"

— Julian Stern, Professor of Education and Religion, Dean of Education and Theology, York St John University, UK

"But the integrity of the selections is what makes this a special work. Thank you for the nonsense and the common sense and for all the senses in between. Somehow you wove the eccentricity of pieces about missing noses and talking crickets and Leibniz and frozen time and Job's trials into a seamless whole. Somehow, but you did it. And I want to say that my personal favorite first line is now officially 'Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince, though written in the sixteenth century, is still relevant today in the National Football League.' Such a non sequitur! Such sense. In my opinion, it stands right up there with the first line of A Prayer for Owen Meany."

— Dr. Claudia Allums, Director of the Louise and Donald Cowan Center for Education, The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture

In the history of philosophy, has the cover of a philosophy journal ever graced the surface of a cake?"

— Mark Balawender, "CONTRARIWISE: Pious and Especially Playful Learning in the Creation of a Journal," PLATO (Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization)

Thank you very much for the copy of Contrariwise. As soon as I got home, I sat right down and started browsing, delighting in the energy, humor, and vigorous intelligence of your pupils. ... From the questioning of the conclusion of Job to the roundtable on distribution of resources, the thinkers have not only understood and used the philosophers but have made them their own, so as to continue the searching and contributing. Just what a teacher hopes for. Kudos!

— Judith Robbins, author and retired teacher of English and philosophy, The Winsor School

"Chock full of transformation-of-mind artifacts, this book really shows off the authors' impressive thinking on a variety of difficult topics (including one of my favorites, the nature of time!). The book is really a celebration of a life of learning and critical discourse that students began developing at CSS and will continue to develop throughout their lives."

— Professor Nathan Finney, Columbia Secondary School

"My kids are still in Middle School, and it's things such as this that make me hope they'll continue with CSS to the very end."

— Karen Kaapcke-LePique, parent, Columbia Secondary School

"I love it. Contrariwise is a great read, and if you are looking to make a great gift, please buy some. It sure will make a good impression."

— Professor Pravin Jammula, Columbia Secondary School

"I can't think of a better-looking philosophy journal, anywhere."

— Daniel Wikler, Mary B. Saltonstall Professor of Ethics and Population Health, Harvard School of Public Health