Career Choices

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AuthorTopic: Career Choices
Law Bringer
Member # 335
Profile Homepage #25
quote:
Originally written by Leatherface:

Um, traditionally the study of mathematics was considered a liberal art. However, at the University I attended it was under the faculty of Science.
And now the sciences are sometimes put among the liberal arts. Since "liberal arts" is an entirely vague concept, I decided to try to categorize by slightly less vague concepts even if they required neologisms. Actually, that's not true. I wanted a chance to make neologisms.

I'm not interested in debating whether or not math is a science, really. I did put in artificial "sciences," for what that's worth. It seems fairly self-evident to me that it isn't in the same category as sciences based on observation of the physical world, though of course that becomes tricky with things like theoretical physics.

quote:
In addition, your poll makes no note of applied sciences (like engineering). I assumed that it was included under unnatural sciences.
Unless you think engineering is magic, no. I'd categorize most engineering as natural science more than anything else because that's what it relies on most heavily (physics, mainly). Other applied sciences fall under behavioral science or somewhere in between.

[Edit: Typo. But it was quoted for posterty anyway!]

—Alorael, who has already admitted that it isn't feasible to make a poll that covers everything. He could be wrong, though, because he's no expert in poll design. This is an engineering problem!

[ Wednesday, December 20, 2006 10:57: Message edited by: Lock before the in. ]
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #26
quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Um, double-majoring in Classical Languages and Astrophysics ...
A.J. Leggett, who shared the Nobel Prize a couple of years ago for his theory of fermionic superfluidity, read classics at Oxford, and only went into physics afterwards. So maybe it somehow helps.

Oh, yeah, what I meant to say in this thread: a mathematician would surely say that mathematics is the least artificial of all sciences, since humans have no power to alter logic in any way.

[ Wednesday, December 20, 2006 09:39: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ]

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We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty.
Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5410
Profile #27
quote:
—Alorael, who has already admitted that it isn't feasible to make a poll that covers everything. He could be wrong, though, because he's no expert in poll design. This is an engineering problem!
Um, this wasn't intended to be a criticism of your poll Alo. It was more of a newsy note. If you visit the Wiki site, there is considerable debate about where mathematics falls, and then there is the different branches of mathematics.

Really, I enjoyed your poll (one of the better ones of recent note IMHO).

Again, from Wiki:
quote:
The opinions of mathematicians on this matter are varied. While some in applied mathematics feel that they are scientists, those in pure mathematics often feel that they are working in an area more akin to logic and that they are, hence, fundamentally philosophers. Many mathematicians feel that to call their area a science is to downplay the importance of its aesthetic side, and its history in the traditional seven liberal arts; others feel that to ignore its connection to the sciences is to turn a blind eye to the fact that the interface between mathematics and its applications in science and engineering has driven much development in mathematics. One way this difference of viewpoint plays out is in the philosophical debate as to whether mathematics is created (as in art) or discovered (as in science).
Alo:
quote:
I'd categorize most engineering as natural science more than anything else becaise that's what it relies on most heavily (physics, mainly). Other applied sciences fall under behavioral science or somewhere in between.

I hesitate to comment on this, so I will preface the following with "this is a newsy note not a critique of the poll". Wiki breaks down academic disciplines by separating natural sciences from applied sciences, as would I have (which is where my confusion stemmed from). Note however, that you are correct in stating that applied sciences flows from natural sciences.

[ Wednesday, December 20, 2006 10:13: Message edited by: Leatherface ]

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"Dikiyoba ... is demon ... drives people mad and ... do all sorts of strange things."

"You Spiderwebbians are mad, mad, mad as March hares."
Posts: 687 | Registered: Wednesday, January 19 2005 08:00
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
Profile #28
Isn't 'itur' just the third person singular present passive of eo? One of the few remaining fragments of my own classical education is this very quotation, which my high school Latin text had at the head of its chapter on the impersonal passive construction. So 'sic itur ad astra', literally 'thus it is gone to the stars', is the Latin way of saying 'thus does one go to the stars'. So normally there is not much call to use the passive voice of 'go', but for an impersonal passive like this evidently Vergil at least could get away with it.

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We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty.
Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
Profile #29
quote:
Originally written by Lock before the in.:

[Edit: Typo. But it was quoted for posterty anyway!]
You make my day smilier. Thanks Alo.

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quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Well, I'm at least pretty sure that Salmon is losing.


Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
...b10010b...
Member # 869
Profile Homepage #30
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

Oh, yeah, what I meant to say in this thread: a mathematician would surely say that mathematics is the least artificial of all sciences, since humans have no power to alter logic in any way.
Tell that to Arend Heyting.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #31
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

Isn't 'itur' just the third person singular present passive of eo? One of the few remaining fragments of my own classical education is this very quotation, which my high school Latin text had at the head of its chapter on the impersonal passive construction. So 'sic itur ad astra', literally 'thus it is gone to the stars', is the Latin way of saying 'thus does one go to the stars'. So normally there is not much call to use the passive voice of 'go', but for an impersonal passive like this evidently Vergil at least could get away with it.
This was my first thought, but it is extremely weird to use the passive of an intransitive verb. "It is gone" is something else ("It has gone" = "ivit" or "iit", as I recall), unless you're trying to say "It is gone by someone," in which case you'd be saying "Someone goes it," which doesn't really make any sense.

My grammars note that transitive compounds of eo, such as adeo ("approach"), can have passive forms, and the passive would be identical to the form found here, but this is unconvincing. I'd like something actually to comment on this, and nothing that I can find does.

The Lewis and Short lists "itur" as apparently a form under "eo" as if it were just the most natural thing in the world, and the example that it cites seems to indicate a normal impersonal verb. It is really odd that no one comments on this anywhere.

EDIT: If anyone is re-reading this, it may be of some interest to note that I finally found it. The term is, as SoT said, the impersonal passive, which is regular for verbs that take the dative — put the subject in the dative and the verb in the passive, "ei credetur" = "he will not be trusted" — and in verbs of coming and going where the subject is unimportant and to be neglected ("itur" = "people go").

If my Latin didn't suck so much, I would've known this already.

[ Thursday, January 18, 2007 16:33: Message edited by: Kelandon ]

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Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
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Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Lifecrafter
Member # 6700
Profile Homepage #32
I'm double-majoring in Film and Video Production and Broadcasting (any way that you read it is true... they are both odd courses of study), with minors in Biblical Theology and Music.
I selected the literature option, as I consider my intended career to be that of a professional storyteller.

All of this discussion of the Aeneid, despite my dislike of Virgil's form (coinciding with my minimal experience in poetry altogether), has me wanting to pull out my old Latin dictionary and de-rust my translating skills... alas, no time...

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The Silent Assassin is writing the nesxt great American novel.
He plans to call it, "Why Dung Bombs Smell."

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-Lenar Labs
What's Your Destiny?

Ushmushmeifa: Lenar's power is almighty and ineffable.

All hail lord Noric, god of... well, something important, I'm sure.
Posts: 735 | Registered: Monday, January 16 2006 08:00
Lifecrafter
Member # 7538
Profile Homepage #33
I also considered (very briefly) minoring in music. But I don't think that goes too well with game and simulation programming, and I'm not a good enough musician to even consider it a career choice.

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Do not provoke the turtles.
They do not like being provoked.

-Lenar

My website: Nemesis' Refuge
Posts: 743 | Registered: Friday, September 29 2006 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 4248
Profile #34
My career will not lie in studying sciences, it'll be applying them to everyday work. I wonder what kind of wacky ways of welding they'll come up next; EB and ultra-sound welding were quite bizarre already.

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I have nothing more to do in this world, so I can go & pester the inhabitants of the next one with a pure concscience.
Posts: 617 | Registered: Tuesday, April 13 2004 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 1092
Profile Homepage #35
This is a topic I fully don't fit in to well. I'd be one of those that would be put under the "rough hands" category and my preferred career choice would be a Heavy Vehicle mechanic.

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When you think you can't get any lower in life and hit rock bottom, God hands you a shovel.

Why should I say somthin intelligent when idiots like you make me look intelligent in the first place.
Posts: 615 | Registered: Friday, May 3 2002 07:00
Cartographer
Member # 1851
Profile Homepage #36
There's really no good options there for me either. I suppose the high level of interest for theoretical knowledge around here explains how all the options are something you'd study in college or university, but I have no interest in pursuing any of them as a career myself. Actually, I have been considering the idea of applying to a vocational school to study to be a dressmaker. Of course, I can't really draw well, so I doubt I'd get in. One should always try, though.

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"I'm not crazy!"
"Well, whatever. Maybe you just ate something really questionable, or perhaps someone hit you on the head with something large, blunt and heavy just now. By the way..." Gil nudged Grul pointedly.

Ooh! Homepage - Blog - Geneforge, +2, +3 - My Elfwood Gallery and DevArt page
So many strange ones around. Don't you think?
Posts: 1308 | Registered: Sunday, September 8 2002 07:00

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