Q&A: Deliberation About Choosing an Academic Degree
Deliberation About Choosing an Academic Degree
Question
Hi, how are you?
I’ve been following your content over the past few years and enjoying it very much.
Recently I’ve been busy deciding which bachelor’s degree I want to enroll in, and I have a few questions that I don’t have the knowledge to answer on my own. I thought that maybe you, as someone who is involved in both science and philosophy, could help me.
Thank you very much in advance!
The direction that interests me right now is the world of philosophy. I still don’t have enough knowledge and experience to know which subfields especially interest me, but the philosophical way of thinking and the essence of the field are very interesting to me.
My question is: could combining a scientific field (physics/mathematics) help me become a better philosopher? If so, is that only in the area of philosophy of science, or also in other areas of philosophy such as metaphysics and epistemology?
I assume that every field you study (history, political science, law) improves your philosophical engagement with that field, but what I mean is whether you think there is a broader connection between engagement with science and engagement with philosophy, even outside the discipline of that particular field.
The reason for my hesitation is that I’m not a prodigy in the quantitative fields, and most of those subjects are not interesting enough to me in and of themselves (the philosophy behind them does interest me). A bachelor’s degree in mathematics/physics would require a huge investment from me, and since I have no intention of becoming a mathematician or physicist, I wonder whether engaging with them is essential for engaging in philosophy.
Another sub-question I’m struggling with is which field is more connected to philosophy—mathematics or physics. Studying physics and gaining a scientific understanding of the world sounds more interesting to me than engaging in pure mathematics. In your opinion, is there importance to doing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in order to deeply understand the mathematics underlying physics, or is it possible to engage in philosophical questions in science even without deeply understanding the mathematics at its foundation?
Thank you very much 🙂
Answer
Greetings.
I don’t have a general answer to this. Each person according to his own inclinations.
In my opinion, mathematics is itself a branch of philosophy. But physics also has many implications.
But in my opinion, it isn’t worth doing a degree—and certainly not a difficult degree like mathematics or physics—just in order to improve your philosophy, unless you have an interest in the additional field in and of itself.
Discussion on Answer
The question is not one of talent but mainly of interest. If these subjects don’t interest you, then I don’t think it’s worth investing such a great effort in them.
I wrote a series of columns on defining philosophy—starting with column 155. See also column 434.
I didn’t understand whether your hesitation is about professional involvement or private involvement (as a hobby). If it’s private, then it’s certainly not worth an entire degree, only reading or independent study. As for professional involvement, philosophers usually have not studied another scientific field and they engage in philosophical research. So no door is being closed here. But of course education in different scientific fields can enrich your work.
Thank you very much for the reply, it’s greatly appreciated.
What do you mean by saying that physics has many implications for philosophy, and that in your opinion mathematics is part of philosophy? (Have you happened to write any columns about this that I could read?)
I think this didn’t come across clearly enough from how I phrased it—I do think I have the abilities and level of interest required for a degree in mathematics/physics, I just want to understand the advantages that would give me in the philosophical sphere.
If I don’t engage in science, do you think there will be areas of philosophy that will be closed off to me, or that my engagement with them will be less professional? Or is studying science no more significant for philosophy studies than any other field?
Thanks again very much!