Confused With Major Again

[dark]

Ok for a while I have wanted to do philosophy as a major. I want a PhD in it. But I also know my long dream of being a physicist is still very real.

I love physics, in middle school I studied quantum physics, started learning about cosmic back ground radiation. I have always used my understanding of physics to off set my short comings with lack of reflex and vision problems. I have no depth perception yet I can tell the distance of almost anything better than a person with depth perception because I can calculate it out mentally without even trying. I can also judge incoming objects by understanding their velocity and such. I love physics.

I also love philosophy, it will place me in a position to help change the world. With physics I wont matter to the general public. My world operates on the physics of everything. As an NT I guess I am destined to dream of a science. But just like philosophy I would probably have no other job option than teaching. Math is easy to me. I passed an engineering calculus with no basis of algebra knowledge. I used simple logic and completely failed when required to use certain algebra formulas, so I took algebra, it was easy as hell. Now I have an A + in algebra, a B in calc, and thinking about taking another calc class.

I constantly take a science class as long as I can get in one. But it has always been physics. I will be taking a cosmos class type thing, we will be learning about the beginning of our solar system I think and how everything works, I should breeze through this class since I have already freelanced this education. During the times I should have been reading my history I was reading physics or philosophy.

I am trapped. I don't know where to turn. I love both. This has been a trend on me for 2 years now, I have enough credits to get my two year degree in either at the end of the spring. But what ever I choose will be what I will have to deal with from now on, I want to dual major but that would take forever I would think.

What do you all think about the two options?

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I also love philosophy, it will place me in a position to help change the world. With physics I wont matter to the general public.

Was this intended to be a pun?

Well as a life learner, the best option for me would be to stay and get the most education possible to open up more possibilities. It seems you enjoy science more, why not go for a physics major and a philosophy minor?

 

[Latro]

If they are truly equal in personal preference, utilitarianism kicks in and says "go for the natural science degree."

 

[dark]

@ EyeSeeCold, to be honest, I would like to say it was intentional, my unconscious does stuff like that. It made me laugh for a bit after you showed that.

I am really not sure what I should do. I will probably be a professor no matter what. I just really don't know what I would do with philosophy. When something about the universe or physics comes on tv I will become a Nazi, everyone must shut the hell up and watch what I want or I become violent haha.

What would be a normal day for me as a philosophy major in comparison to physics? If anyone here has a degree in either could they explain what their jobs are like and what they do with them. Also I have always been fond of 3 people in history, Socrates, Einstein, and Tesla.

 

[EvilScientist Trainee]

I could only think about this comic.

Spoiler

Except you'd be able to do both.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

^With regards to that comic, it sucks that society wants to specialize us. Go for both

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

I recommend studying a subject that will land you a reasonable paying job which is in high demand. A philosophy major is essentially worthless.

 

[dark]

Well to that, I remember as a joke in my junior year the counselors asked me what kind of job did I want, I replied "Some that is essentially useless and requires me to do almost nothing."

They just looked at me since most valued me as one of the top 3 students, I say 3 because I like 3, and I know I am not that smart, if I am the top 3, damn everyone else must make Gump look like Einstein.

Of course they sent me to an engineering school where I learned I hated engineering, no offense to you guy, the only thing I enjoyed was physics. Then I discovered philosophy, it was like a long lost love I had never knew. Then I cheated on physics with my new found philosophy, now they both want me but how can I choose? I'll take em both, but what state will allow that.

Btw great comic.

 

[Linsejko]

Umm... Why wouldn't a state allow that? It's called a double major. Just do it. If you're going to be in academia your whole life, why not?

L

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Umm... Why wouldn't a state allow that? It's called a double major. Just do it. If you're going to be in academia your whole life, why not?

L

Doesn't get it.

 

[dark]

@ Linsejko, read the context of the paragraph, I was making a small/bad joke about polygamy. Nothing more.

 

[Linsejko]

I thought both departments wanted you, and assumed that for some reason you thought your state sanctioned school didn't allow double majoring in separate departments. I read not only the context of the post, but the entire thread, as usual.

L

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

Have you taken any philosophy courses? I was also going through a similar crisis with "do I want to seriously pursue philosophy at university, or just maths?"

I've loved philosophy for years, took a course once I got to university, and found it to be terrible, for various reasons - assignments = essays, students = every thing they say in regards to philosophy makes me face palm, the lecture material was really vague and better left to independent study. Then there's the shit job prospects - basically just academia, writing essays that, at least initially, have to be written the way philosophy is usually done today (leaving little room for completely independence of thought) or as a lecturer (maybe the only reason to go into philosophy).

I would personally recommend not studying philosophy academically, and leaving it for independent study instead, and doing independent writing if you come up with anything good. At least, this is what I'll be doing - maybe things'll be different for you. Keep your options open, do research, picture yourself in each situation, do both simultaneously and see if either presents itself clearly as the best option.

You may even end up doing something different entirely.

 

[dark]

I have taken 2 philosophy classes thus far, but this is a 2 year college, will be transferring to a 4 year in the next fall or summer I hope.

My only complaint with the classes was this, I had to write papers about my ideas, and find some other philosopher or author that had the same idea. . A lot of the time I could not find this, I ended up reading everything I could find in the library. The only people I could figure had anything similar to the idea I was wanting to write about was Nietzsche and Socrates(Plato). I had an idea I had been working on for a couple years about a universal collective, wrote about 10 pages single spaced on it. Got an A. Then a year later I was reading a collection of Greek philosophers, and discovered a guy that had wrote a similar thing called the Cosmic Collective. I didn't read into it to find out if it was the same idea but it had the same name basically.

All my papers were like that, go read some stuff and find a guy that has the same idea as you so your ideas don't sound stupid... Ummm, why?

Anyhow I have also for an equal amount of time been wanting to become something of a journalist. I like to write, I am decent, not that great, but that is what school and practice is for.

I had thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do, now I am back to where I was two years ago after I left the engineering school. I really need to figure out what I want to do. I think I will finish my 2 year degree in the arts and work out a science degree as a bachelors. I also just need to get out of this place where I live, this place is depressing, I need to get back to the city. Louisville is the biggest city in this state(Ky), I liked it a lot, I liked UofL when I went there, may end up going back there with a science or arts soon.

 

[Architectonic]

I recommend studying a subject that will land you a reasonable paying job which is in high demand. A philosophy major is essentially worthless.

And in all probability, less likely to make a measurable difference in the world. A common complaint about academic philosophers is that all they do is re-hash old philosophers, rather than doing any sort of new philosophy.

If you desire notoriety, then your heart is in the wrong place.

The thing is, a lay philosopher, especially if you have a science PhD still has as much potential to make a difference as a philosopher as an academic. Of course you will have less time to pursue it, than if you are lucky enough to be one of only a handful of tenured philosophers. LOL

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

'What is the task of all higher education' - To turn a man into a machine.

I think most of what you'll be doing in philosophy is essentially explaining the ideas of others. Again, I don't recommend it, but you should be able to figure out after 2 classes if it's for you or not.

Are you passionate about environmental issues? As a physicist, you could probably help develop green technologies, and journalism, philosophy, pretty much any subject, could tie in with this area as well. A position to help change the world.