Debate this

[palladish]

I personally don't agree with it, I more view maths as applied logic and should more be on the lower end but that's me.
I study Chemistry and Psychology and tend to think of Bio as sex and coloring in

Note: I know this is bound to be trollbate I just want to hear people's opinions on the 'sciences' so if someone is trolling just report them and try move on, don't feed no matter how tempting

Go

[Croga]

Not really any debate. The picture is factually right.
And yes, Maths is applied logic but logic is not a field of science and thus has no place in this graphic.

In the end all fields of whatever are just applying other stuff. That doesn't mean that someone capable of applying a field of science is thus capable of performing the job of one of the "lower" fields.

As a Project manager I apply sociology, psychology, math and a bundle of other fields. I wouldn't call myself a Chemist though so what's the point in talking about what field applies what?

Oh, wait, you already said it: Trollbait and flamebait is the only reason to even make such a picture.

[finnalblow]

my favorites are physics and psychology but im also looking into bring back alchemy

[souka]

I don't get it. What do you mean "purity"?

[Deleted]

I don't get it. What do you mean "purity"?

My thought, too.

On how clear cut the answers are? What. Surely there are more grey areas in humanistic sciences. So?

[Deleted]

I totally agree with it, even if my field (Biology) is near the bottom.

[Authary]

Computer Science's missing. Should be hugging physics. It's just applied maths.

[Deleted]

my favorites are physics and psychology but im also looking into bring back alchemy

Bringing back Alchemy would be glorious.

[Hraklea]

I don't know what you meant by "purity", but I hope it is not an analogy for "importance". It's not like everybody should only study math because it is the basis for other sciences.

[haxartus]

I don't know what you meant by "purity", but I hope it is not an analogy for "importance". It's not like everybody should only study math because it is the basis for other sciences.

This is correct - none of the serious sciences would have ever developed without mathematics. And you can't have a functioning society without mathematics.
Without the mathematic knowledge gathered from the last 5000 years, the world as we know it wouldn't exist.

[Urti]

Bringing back Alchemy would be glorious.

Why bring it back, it never went anywhere. It just went legit, stopped reading horoscopes, and started calling itself chemistry.

[Noomz]

They're all different parts and ways of science meant to study different things.

[Badpaladin]

Mathematics is really its own category; putting in with different fields of science is sort of silly if you ask me.

[Sunseeker]

It's pretty accurate. Of course you could toss logic on the far end, but logic is actually a branch of philosophy, indeed if you go far enough, you'll find it just makes one big circle.

[GodlyBob]

I don't get it. What do you mean "purity"?

Purity means that the field is theoretical and doesn't have a practical purpose. The more applications it has to solve actual problems, the less "pure" it is. Of course, that doesn't mean that less pure sciences are less important, it just means that they're more useful to us a whole without having to go through four degrees of separation.

[Baradur]

This picture has been around a while. It's meant to be funny, not trollbait, http://xkcd.com/435/ is the original to my knowledge.
I'm pretty sure that the "purity" of each science is referring to the amount of logic involved. Math is as close to pure logic normal humans get, and physics is applied math, but not everything works the way logic says it should, getting progressively farther from logic as you go down in "purity" of the fields.
While the less pure sciences don't rely as much on pure logic as say math or physics, it is generally such a small difference that it doesn't really matter. All sciences are equal at this point, as they form all sorts of hybrid fields.

[Auloria]

I'm shocked that no one seems to know that this is from the ultra-cool geek comic:
http://xkcd.com/435/
Cite your sources, OP.

I never would have thought of math as applied logic; I would more equate the two. Isn't math just a bunch of logic rules? I'm also surprised how many people find the concept of science "purity" confusing. I guess this comic must have been a "miss" for the layperson, but we science guys thought it was spot on. Pressed, I have to say I'm not sure how best to answer it: I guess "purity" means more academic, more theoretical (as godlybob put it). The less pure science has more approximations and averages so that you get broad ideas of how things work, but you don't have the exact solution.

I'm a physicist, with friends thoughout the sciences, and we definitely give each other a hard time for our place in the pecking order. All in good fun, of course.

[Bsod]

absolutly right
(math student here )