If civilization fell apart tomorrow, what field of knowledge would be the most useful?

[Doc Norad]

I recently came to the conclusion that my choice of a college major is highly dependent on what context I would expect to use it. However, due to my desire for versatility in any situation and my extreme fear of my knowledge becoming useless, I have imagined the worse possible scenario: the end of civilization and the complete loss of value for certain fields of knowledge.

For example:
1. Computer science - Few computers will exist, and use of these would be a luxury, if not an impossibility.
2. Law - Being well-versed in the intricacies of a specific field of law wouldn't mean anything in a world with no contracts and no judicial system.
3. Advanced Science - Quantum physics, genetics, microchip engineering, and any other discipline requiring large amounts of funding and very specialized equipment will hardly be on people's minds when they are worried about surviving one day at a time.

While these particular subjects might not be inherently useful, the ability to understand such complex systems would certainly be a transferable skill. However, there are many careers and fields of knowledge that are completely dependent upon "the grid".

In your opinion, what field of knowledge would be the most useful in a post-apocalyptic world? My vote goes to the most broad and fundamental technical fields: mathematics, engineering, and physics.

 

[nanook]

football. so you can indulge into some cultural decline while we indulge into cultural decline.

 

[Fukyo]

In your opinion, what field of knowledge would be the most useful in a post-apocalyptic world? My vote goes to the most broad and fundamental technical fields: mathematics, engineering, and physics.

Engineering (possibly architecture, ability to create buildings, even crude from raw materials would definitely be useful, as well being able to create tools) and medicine come to mind first. Secondly, whatever disciplines that give you knowledge of what's edible and whether the environment is toxic.

 

[Kuu]

^Fukyo has the right idea.

Survival skills take priority. Finding / making shelter. Gathering, storing, growing food. Purifying water. Basic medicine. Self defense, preferably not relying on guns.

Basic physics, electrical and mechanical engineering would be useful if tools are available for making low tech machines...

To be honest you don't really need a university degree to gain sufficient knowledge of any of this. Just books, the internet, and highschool-level knowledge.

 

[Cognisant]

Well what sort of end-of-civilization event are we talking about?

The best I can think of for this discussion would be the changing polarity of the Earth's magnetosphere causing a period of powerful earthquakes on a global scale, like what hapened in Japan but everywhere and with aftershocks going for several weeks. This would destroy almost all infrastructure and cause flooding of all near sea level regions, which is where a lot of human settlements happen to be.

In the world after this disaster there's still going to be a lot of technology around, surely some bright spark will start stripping the alternators out of cars and with a flowing water source (any river) he'll have the makings of a very basic power plant. Around this people will gather as it allows them to utilize any electric tools they scavenge, and from there I imagine it would quickly develop in a microcosm of modern society.

 

[Mello]

I'll use the skills I learned from Fallout 3, Oblivion, and Skyrim.

Spoiler

For I am Dovahkiin, Dragonborn.

 

[A22]

Medicine is always handy.

 

[Rock]

Medicine
Agriculture
Engineering

Check out www.survivalcache.com or any of the other good emergency preparedness or survival forums.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

My vote goes to the most broad and fundamental technical fields: mathematics, engineering, and physics.

Political Science.

If used correctly you gain access to everyone's skills, not just your own.

Ecology would be #2. Being able to identify plants/animals/fungi of all sorts has many useful applications.

 

[Crazythinker1]

A degree in a post apocalyptic world would be of limited use. It would much more useful to have knowledge in survival skills and have a good ability to improvise and think outside of the box. However, a degree in math or engineering wouldn't hurt

 

[Guess]

I'd think agriculture knowledge would be the most useful.

Are you just asking out of curiosity? Or thinking it could happen?

 

[Eido]

There's a reason why no specialization existed in our culture until we became sedentary: specialization is bad for survival. The generalists, the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none folks, they are the ones who survive if modern society breaks down. That's why the people who collect hobbies are probably better off than the people who spend their lives learning all the intricacies of law or computer science. That's why the INTPs and the cockroaches will be all that's left when the end comes.

 

[BigApplePi]

Yes. Farmer. Most people will still want to eat, especially you.

 

[Anamnesis]

football. so you can indulge into some cultural decline while we indulge into cultural decline.

Beautiful.

 

[CLOfriendOSE]

There are probably tiers:

1) Agriculture/Herbal Medicine/Physical Theraphy/ (things directly related to survival)
2) Music/Dance/Yoga/Entertainment (people will need to do *something* and I'm scared of what will happen to the populus without interwebz/tv/iphone/videogames/medianarcotics)
3) Appliable Sciences (physics, engineering, etc for infastructure - I'm sure that even without these people, though, the majority could figure out how to build shelter...I hope...)


Math and physics won't save anybody without food and entertainment. People kill each other over these things. Also, I doubt all books would be destroyed; at least general studies would be available still.

 

[Fghw]

How i love the hypothetical.

So, in what way would civilization have fallen?