NationStates Jolt Archive

So, which is it? Which liberal arts degree has the most import on the world and the most effect? Argue your major here.


Poll will be up shortly.

Math?

At my university, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology were all in the college of arts and sciences, and they didn't give BS degrees. I don't know if they really count as liberal arts, though.

EDIT: now that you've added the poll, I see that you think they count. So, I'll go with biology.

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Not sure if it's philosophy, political science, or history. The middle one will be the people who are running for office in a couple of decades. The other two shape it, the first with theory, the second with pragmatism. And I'm a philospohy major, by the way.

Ethnomusicology.

Nope, can't make a case for it. I just wanted to include the studies of the arts in some way....

Unfortunately that's all I got.


I'll just show myself out.......

Math?

At my university, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology were all in the college of arts and sciences, and they didn't give BS degrees. I don't know if they really count as liberal arts, though.
Yeah, most are under science. I should have named the thread "Which is the most important major in Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Well, I'm a psych major, and I -hope- what I'm doing is important, so I picked that.

Well, I'm a psych major, and I -hope- what I'm doing is important, so I picked that.
Same reason why I picked history.

Also, cool name.

I was a philosophy/math undergrad...

But when I went to graduate school, I decided that political theory keeps political thought more grounded in reality than political philosophy. Theory arises from practical needs in the world... philosophy may touch on it, but seems to begin and end elsewhere.

Of course, my concentration in political theory is the self in politics, especially applied psychoanalytic theory... and you cannot really do theory without history...

So, how can I pick? They all sort of flow into one another for me.

Biology is my favourite. I do not know which one is the best, but entomology and pathology pwnz everthing else. Though I am terribly interested in all that too...it gets very difficult to moderate all my academic impulses...

So, which is it? Which liberal arts degree has the most import on the world and the most effect? Argue your major here.


Poll will be up shortly.

Physics, Chemistry and Math are not liberal arts degrees. In fact its an insult that you put them there :p

Math > Physics = Economics > Chemistry > Biology > White Collar Professional (accounting, lawyer etc…) = Blue collar professional (ie, the trades. Mechanics, Electricians, etc..) All else is equal > Physical Science (PE), > Communications.

Of course, that includes things outside of college, like the blue collars.

The major that has the most affect on the world is probably none of them. Its what one does with their life that affects the world, your major often as nothing to do with what you do with your life, especially if its something like communications.

Psychology is up there because it touches on SO MUCH in our everyday lives. From helping people with mental disorders, to advancing our knowledge of the actual function of the brain at a neurological level which will help in advancing modern medicine, to the development of AI and robots, to working in a human factors environment...etc...etc....etc....

There's so much more to psych then just the popular image of a "shrink", and I think in general it's extremely important in our society. Psychology is rather new but growing at a tremendous rate because of its importance in our future.

I have to agree. Most universities award subjects like math/engineering/physics etc. a "Bachelor of Sciences" degree and political science, art, music, etc a "bachelor of arts" degree. Which one are you referring too?

It all depends on the school.

Psychology can be a BA or BS depending on school..

Is Sciences Liberal Arts? Strange.

IMO Definitely the sciences. If not we'll still be back in the Roman era.

Physics, Chemistry and Math are not liberal arts degrees. In fact its an insult that you put them there :p

Math > Physics = Economics > Chemistry > Biology > White Collar Professional (accounting, lawyer etc…) = Blue collar professional (ie, the trades. Mechanics, Electricians, etc..) All else is equal > Physical Science (PE), > Communications.


Physics > Math > Engineering > Chem > Finance > Econ.......> communications

Seriously, how many times do econ majors have to deal with tensor theory?

As my Continuum Mechanics prof used to say, "any idiot off the street can do math."

Yeah, I don't think any degree that ends with an "S" belongs on a "liberal arts" poll. At my university, they were part of the "College of Arts and Sciences" as well, but CAS granted a BS in these areas. Regardless of this, even if an individual school awards a BA for physics, when you move up a notch, you'd be working towards an MS in the field, because nobody but nobody awards an MA in physics.

Otherwise, I don't really get why you put the "liberal arts" qualifier in the thread title if the question is just about "most important major."

Personally, none of the above. Technology majors are wonderful...especially when they're improperly classified in the business school. We get to learn all of this crap that people doing corporate takeovers should know, but then we get to learn something we'll actually use -- network administration, object-oriented programming...useful shit.

Excuse my sarcasm. I'm just a little bitter over the useless crap I've got to sit through again..starting Monday.