Capla comments on Good things to have learned.... - Less Wrong

15 Post author: NancyLebovitz 03 December 2014 07:29PM

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Comment author: IlyaShpitser 03 December 2014 09:15:43PM *  2 points [-]

what do you wish you'd studied in college?

Physics.

Comment author: Capla 03 December 2014 10:51:24PM 4 points [-]

Why? Would an understanding of physics help you now, or is it more for fun?

Comment author: IlyaShpitser 04 December 2014 02:13:52AM *  7 points [-]

Physics is math that touches the ground. Not only do you avoid the temptation to muck around with "inaccessible cardinals" and things like that, but I get the impression good physicists can just work out a lot of things from first principles.

Physicists have an excellent nose for modeling too.


edit: I don't think knowing more physics would "help me" now, in the sense that I don't need to know more physics to write papers. But I think knowing more physics would help my intellectual development a lot. I am working on it...

I am not sure my experience generalizes, I certainly am not advocating studying physics as a universal piece of advice.

Comment author: hamiltonianurst 05 December 2014 10:32:26PM 2 points [-]

As a physicist, I'd like to say that if you're tempted by inaccessible cardinals, you will still end up mucking about with them, much to the annoyance of some of your cohort.