 Parsons showed from early on, a great interest in the topic of philosophy, which most likely was an echo of his father's great interest in theology in which tradition he had been profoundly socialized, a position unlike with his professors'.Two term papers that Parsons wrote as a student for Clarence E. Ayres's class in Philosophy III at Amherst have survived.They are referred to as the Amherst Papers and have been of strong interest to Parsons scholars.