do u think math/physics/philosophy are superior subjects

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eilishbillie987
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18 Apr 2019, 7:08 am

like everythjng else comes second



Fnord
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18 Apr 2019, 9:14 am

That's pretty much the case.

XKCD #435- "Purity", by Randall Munroe

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18 Apr 2019, 9:19 am

Or, to put it another way, the sciences can be ranked from "Superior" to "Inferior" in the following way:

1 - Mathematics
2 - Physics
3 - Chemistry
4 - Biology
5 - Psychology
6 - Social Sciences
7 - Artistry
8 - Fast-Food Service



shortfatbalduglyman
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18 Apr 2019, 12:11 pm

Some schools treat STEM as superior to social science. And social science as superior to humanities. Humanities as superior to trades


Without clinical psychologists , nothing drastic would happen. That otherwise would not have happened. In the world

Without medical doctors, drastic things would happen


Granted, social science and humanities serve functions. In some situations. But not as useful as STEM



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18 Apr 2019, 12:51 pm

superior to what and in what way?

bit of a daft question if you ask me but then you probably wouldn't as I would say English Literature is the ultimate superior subject so what do I know?



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18 Apr 2019, 1:00 pm

Seeing as computing combines pretty much everything in this discussion, I guess I'm in favor of abolishing the term "computer science".

I've spent longer studying computers than any recent compsci grad & no one calls me a scientist.


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18 Apr 2019, 2:06 pm

I believe STEM is generally superior in function, but the others are good entertainment BUT, inventions that are from STEM make the others all the more compelling.



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18 Apr 2019, 8:23 pm

You can't measure the value of an academic subject

But with social science and humanities, sometimes (not always), there is no right or wrong answer

So anyone can say anything

In STEM, there is just one right answer


At the end of the day, a psychologist has little to show for his work

A web developer has plenty


But so does a plumber



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18 Apr 2019, 8:39 pm

Define "Superior".

Philosophy is arguably the most difficult, comprehensive and challenging of the list. Math is applied Philosophy.
Philosophy (logic, aesthetics, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, existentialism) defines every field of thought and action on the planet from Math to Science to Medicine, Commerce, the Arts, Law and Religion.

Most people would say "Philosophy doesn't earn a salary".

Incidentally, STEM is frequently revised as STEAM to include the Arts and artistic creativity.
Creativity is the basis of all commerce and human progress.


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18 Apr 2019, 9:17 pm

I still use math in everday life. Decades after leaving school. Physics, computer science, and engineering are useful as well!

I think I crossed that line where my investment growth exceeds my salary!



Mimi Marquez
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19 Apr 2019, 6:35 am

Only philosophy. Math is alright and physics is slightly meh compared to the other subjects. Philosophy is one of my special interests so f**k yes on that one.



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20 Apr 2019, 11:32 am

Funny that most think math is on top....

At the university that I teach at, my main work office is located right next door to the majority of the math department offices. With the exception of one professor, they do not talk to my department much. It is like there is an invisible barrier between us. I do not mind it though.

What they do not understand is that they talk so loud that I can easily hear their conversations when my office door is open. You would think that the majority of their conversations would revolve around math, but that is just not the case. Most of the ones that I overhear are on common everyday life things, like what to have for lunch or what they did last night. The few times that they did discuss math concepts were not very deep. I have even had to correct one of them as I was walking by their office as they were applying the wrong formula to a particular application. They were not happy that I “helped” them in their own area, even if they were wrong.

You have to realize that deep down inside, everyone is still human regardless on what they do with their life.



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20 Apr 2019, 12:59 pm

shortfatbalduglyman wrote:
So anyone can say anything

In STEM, there is just one right answer


This is a bit of a misconception. In engineering fields there are multiple ways of designing a certain function. These alternative designs often have trade-offs that people have to decide for themselves which trade-off is more valuable.

For example if you're designing a car, it can have a gasoline engine, an electric engine, or a hybrid design. None of these is intrinsically superior to the others as they have trade-offs. The gasoline engine has attributes that make it more desirable than the electric engine, but also attributes that make it less desirable.

This may seem obvious in engineering, but it applies also to science and math. There is a fundamental "truth" underlying math and science (the logic of math is self-consistent, and the universe operates a certain way) but there may be many correct approaches to determining that truth. The volume of a cube can be measured by taking its sides and multiplying them together, or by placing it in water and measuring the change in water level.

I don't think of any subjects as superior. There are trade-offs to being in a highly developed field where much of truth is known, or in a highly uncertain field where much is unknown. If you want to rank fields by current economic value or developedness of truth (IE we are certain of many more things in math, than say neurology) you're welcome to do so, but someone else may rank fields by interest, potential, or challenge.

People may mock sociology as a soft-psuedoscience, but if someone understood human interactions well enough to accurately predict the actions of humans that person would be named Hari Seldon and be a god messiah figure.


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shortfatbalduglyman
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20 Apr 2019, 8:03 pm

STEM majors take the same social science and humanities classes, as social science (as) and humanities (him) majors. STEM take Hum and SS classes as general education

Hum and SS majors take different STEM classes than STEM majors

STEM impacted


Only structural engineering majors can take structural engineering classes, except by petition


STEM majors often change their major to Hum and SS.


Not vice versa


STEM requires more units than SS and Him





:mrgreen:



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24 Apr 2019, 6:34 am

shortfatbalduglyman wrote:
Only structural engineering majors can take structural engineering classes, except by petition
:mrgreen:


When I went to a top school decades ago I could take very difficult classes just by taking the prerequisite courses.
Maybe it helped to be in STEM with a really high GPA?



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24 Apr 2019, 6:47 am

Fnord wrote:
Or, to put it another way, the sciences can be ranked from "Superior" to "Inferior" in the following way:

1 - Mathematics
2 - Physics
3 - Chemistry
4 - Biology
5 - Psychology
6 - Social Sciences
7 - Artistry
8 - Fast-Food Service

In/out buger ('fast food') managers make 160k/year.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/na ... 065434001/

Try and beat that with a STEM degree.


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