So I’ve been lurking around these forums for a while but just decided to make an account and ask for myself. My idea is to do a double major in Physics/Philosophy since, in my mind, the two mesh well in that the both create a powerful critical thinker and problem solver, but they are also different enough that they create a very well rounded person.
My question is how well would these two majors actually work together when looking for a job some 4 years down the road? If I decide to get a mechanical engineering masters later on, would that be a better idea than looking for a job right out of college with the physics/philosophy majors?
Have you ever read the book Atlas Shrugged? This is the exact combination one of the characters took. Either way, I personally think it adds a new depth to you as a person than the standard applicant would have. However, that really does depend on what line of work you want to get into. It also depends on what school you go to - depending on the rigors of your school, you may not be able to easily complete such different majors in four years.
If you can complete a double major in 4 years then go for it. Staying an extra year in college to take a second major which is not specifically what you plan for graduate school is not a great idea. A minor will do.
The two fields don’t have as much in common as many people think that they will upon going into them. I started college with the intention of double majoring in physics and philosophy. I took courses in both, and I quickly realized that they really had nothing at all to do with one another. There are certainly some philosophical aspects to certain ideas in physics…but as far as doing physics is concerned, these philosophical aspects have no real significance. The vast majority of philosophy is in no sense at all related to physics. Some areas of philosophy have some parallels with basic ideas in physics, but these relations are tangential at best in most cases, and almost misleading in others. I ultimately decided that a second major in philosophy wasn’t going to help me get where I wanted to go, so I’m double majoring in physics and math. It kind of depends on where one intends to go. I plan on going to grad school for physics, so a physics/math double major is the best option for me. A double major in physics and philosophy would be very intellectually fulfilling, but I’m not sure that one would really benefit from it in terms of employment or anything like that.