Having Troubles

[foodchain]

In decision making.

 

Basically I just would like to ask a simple question.

 

If you wanted to be able to study basically anything or everything or have that option open to you for instance, from studying say bacteria to the formation of a galaxy to the behavior of an electron in the atmosphere of Mars, what would be the best field of science to do this in?

 

I have a little less then a year before I have to make a choice basically in education on what I would like to do, every time I think about it I can never reduce such to an answer that I can live with really. I cant find any comfort in basically putting blinders on for the most part and only studying a certain subject, as I basically see most everything in reality as connected one way or another. So I want to be able to get some education that would allow for me to be able to study basically anything having to do with nature/reality as in natural sciences. I already have a firm idea of where I am going to go as in terms of a career, but I plan to continue education and research, experimentation stuff on the side for personal satisfaction.

 

So overall if anybody would like to chime in, what is the natural science that most allows an individual the freedom really to get scientific with nature overall, regardless of form again, such as being able to study volcanism if desired or the behavior of parasites, or does such a field simply not exist?

 

Thanks in advance.

[insane_alien]

i would say that such a field does not exist as you would not know anything enough to make a meaningful contribution. specialisation is not such a bad thing.

 

i would say chemistry is probably the closest as it exists at the interface between physics and biology. there is some QM and then there is biochem. but even then you can further specialise into certain areas of chemistry. there is a MASSIVE amount of stuff. no one person could know it all even if they lived to be 1000 and studied every day of their lives.

[jackson33]

frankly, i like the attitude. in the process of learning a little bit about all in science you would understand the connections between the fields and no doubt a few would become you specialty.

 

i would suggest a career in education, based on the levels you achieve in schooling. you may even get rich, make a name for yourself, write the inspiring book OR you may just work hard and give your learned knowledge to a few thousand others, hopefully with that learn it all attitude...

[foodchain]

In reply to insane_alien.

 

I agree. Specialization is probably not only a more correct way to go, humanly, its probably the only way to go. My problem is this, I think chemistry is very neat without a doubt. Looking at a plant to say just going to the beach the ability to study such from a chemical perspective would be simply awesome. See, I just want to know where it ends per say. Like if I wanted to experiment with a dynamo, using material that was an anion, to neutral to see if any difference existed, is that something chemistry as a field actually ever does? Would that constitute study of the physical properties of matter? To looking at the evolution of a proton pump in organisms, to actually studying the subatomic structure and function of the atom, which is prize in my thoughts. Does chemistry in the real world actually do any of that stuff, or does it basically map out reaction mechanisms overall of matter in various environments?

 

In reply to jackson33.

 

I think education position at a university would be a prime spot to hold, more so because of research possibilities still be very much open to a person. Though career wise I am heading towards environmental protection, and such an interdisciplinary field is probably why I am so confused as to the relation of the natural sciences and wanting to know if any single one of those is really broad enough to study just about everything. I mean looking at the atmosphere, or the biosphere, you cant really say the two are ultimately separate in reality. I mean I think I could just study environmental science, but in its own right such a field really is an endeavor only in many regards to understand the impact of human interaction on the environment, it would be nice if such a field really was the study of the totality of circumstances surrounding an organism in a much more detailed level, such as from the quantum to the galactic.

[Klaynos]

Physics with maybe a bit of chemistry done as electives, ensuring you do modules in statistical mechanics, astrophysics, and bio-physics, although bio-physics in the more modern sense of the term.

 

The guy who taught me special relativity last year, his phd is in GR, and he's now a professor of bio-physics... So specialism is good, but if you are good it is not necessarily what you will end up in, as the skills you learn are often more important than pure knowledge which can be quickly picked up at any time.