<p>I am currently a high school junior and I am very interested in physics and philosophy. Would it be plausible to double major in those two subjects in college, or would the workload be too intense?</p>
<p>Well you won't have overlapping courses. So basically it would be like being a physics major and using all of your free electives on philosophy. I hope those are your only two interests because you are not going to have much room for anything else. On top of that, there isn't really a practical application for this double major. Why not just major in one and minor in the other or just take a few classes in the other? Most likely your interests will evolve.</p>
<p>I know that there isn't a practical application, and I don't expect to get a high paying job. I consider myself a disciple of the classical philosopher: I don't learn to get a job, I learn to obtain knowledge! But in the future, I may want to teach in one or both of those subjects and to do so I must need a degree, so that is my reason for double major.</p>
<p>And physics and philosophy aren't completely unrelated. Metaphysics is a big part of philosophy, and my goal in life would be to learn about the nature of the universe, and not just from a scientific point of view. A double major in physics and philosophy would help me achieve that.</p>
<p>By the way, I have other interests too, but I am willing to devote the bulk of my schedule to just physics and philosophy if needed.</p>
<p>I think it would be fine to major in both, people have definitely done it before. I suppose it depends on which school you go to and how hard you are willing to work as to how intense the workload will be. And the two subjects definitely intertwine to some extent, philosophy of science in general is a pretty active field of research. I personally think it's very interesting :)</p>
<p>0808-consider Amherst College where you could be a double major - the philosophy dept is said to be excellent</p>
<p>Physics and philosophy are related in great ways! They share a lot of history, and even a lot of modern goals. I studied philosophy and math (the latter was a minor, not a second major) and really loved how well they went together, although not everyone understood the combo. Plus, as Twyla noted, philosophy of science is a pretty widespread and well-respected field. </p>
<p>I personally think that if you're really interested in both of these subjects, they'd make a great double major. Whether it's really possible will depend on you and your school, and it is true (although not absolutely definite) that you probably won't be able to double-count anything. It's also true that a double major of this sort will cut sharply into your electives, but it seems safe to say that whichever major you chose, if only one, you'd use a lot of your electives on the other subject, anyway. If you go to a college that offers dual majors, I think you could still do these two (actually, it could be really, really cool). At my school, we had a senior thesis requirement, so the difference between a double or a dual major was writing two separate theses or one combined thesis, respectively. Not every school will make the same distinction.</p>
<p>One up-side of this combination is that the type of work demanded by each major will be quite different, so you shouldn't burn out easily. I personally think that a combo like this would be much more enjoyable than a combination of two sciences or two humanities, where a student either gets stuck spending all of his time in a lab or all of his time reading and writing papers...no mental break either way. With philosophy and physics, you should be able to bounce back and forth between problem sets, lab time, essays, and thick reading. That's part of what I really liked about my philosophy/math combo. A second up-side is that you'll do extensive coursework in two very different fields, which will look great to grad programs, honor societies, and anything else you might end up applying for. This combo says that you can probably write, argue, analyze, and problem-solve like a pro. You cover a lot of intellectual bases, so to speak.</p>
<p>Make sure when you're applying to schools that (a) double majors are allowed; (b) double majors are actually possible and well-supported; (c) a double major between these two fields would be allowed (sometimes you apply to one "school" within a college and you're not allowed to get a degree outside of that school...whatever, just be sure).</p>
<p>I'm sure that there are other schools that combine the subjects really well, but I did notice that Rutgers (NJ) had a very science-y philosophy department. Some of the offerings sounded really interesting (and relevant to you), including Philosophical Ideas in Science Fiction, Minds, Machines & Persons, Philosophy of Physics, and in general, a pretty wide selection of both Philosophy of Science and Logic courses at both the undergrad and graduate level. I was impressed. Rutgers</a> University - Department of Philosophy</p>
<p>Anyway, the point is, without knowing your work habits, your abilities, and your college, no one can tell you whether or not you'll be able to handle this combination. Odds are in your favor, though, if you're passionate about (and relatively adept at) the subjects. In most cases, I imagine this is a plausible combination. I think it could be a lot of fun :)</p>
<p>One more comment...</p>
<p>There isn't always a lot of respect between undergrads in these two disciplines. Most people don't seem to see or appreciate the connections, shared roots, etc. If you do choose philosophy/physics as a double major, you might really impress your professors, but you might also have to deal with negative comments (not directed at you personally) from your classmates. </p>
<p>As a philosophy major, I often felt like the odd one out in my math classes, and when I hung around the nearby tech school, I had to deal with a fair number of anti-humanities comments. Similarly, I know a number of science majors who really struggled with the skepticism and criticism put forth in philosophy of science talks. Seriously, heated debates (to put it quite lightly). Nothing was ever, ever personal, and this shouldn't be a deterrent (on the contrary, if you do get stuck in the middle of these debates, it's a lot nicer to be able to speak from and to both sides), but it is a heads up.</p>
<p>Great post, Student615.</p>
<p>I highly encourage anyone who's both interested in and has ability in philosophy, math, and physics, to pursue some combination of those studies.</p>
<p>I know maybe two or so people who are double majoring in philosophy and physics, and to be sure, it's a rare combo. But as others have mentioned, philosophy, math, and the sciences in general (but especially physics), have deeply intertwined intellectual histories. Unfortunately though, very few people know of this, let alone appreciate it.</p>
<p>It's clear too that people in the humanities/social sciences have something against math/science, and vice versa. But don't let that bother you. I'm studying philosophy and economics myself, two fields that are quite different, but I enjoy both. Many times I've been asked by people in economics (but more so, people in business) why I'm studying philosophy.</p>
<p>Wow guys, thanks for all the advice! It's also great to know that I'm not alone ^_^</p>
<p>Son is a double major, math and philosophy. I'm glad to read this thread since I thought he was crazy!</p>
<p>I am currently a freshman double majoring in Philosophy and physics. It IS a lot of work, but it is great. The two fields compliment each other extremely well, and if you want to study space you can't pick two better majors. Sure beats going into business.</p>
<p>Let me give my two cents. It's possible to do Physics/Philosophy, but difficult, especially if you are thinking of going on to grad school in physics. In that case, you're going to want to take extra math classes and get involved in research as much as possible. So there really wouldn't be time for a full philosophy major, I think, but time to take some excellent philosophy courses or perhaps do a minor.</p>
<p>However, if you aren't interested in pursuing graduate work in physics, or if you are interested in pursuing graduate work in philosophy, I think it's an oustanding combination. </p>
<p>Math/Philosophy is an easier double-major to do, especially since you can load up on philosophy classes while you're taking intro math classes. If you are a physics major, you are taking physics AND math intro classes, so there is little time to load up on philosophy.</p>