How Physics and Philosophy Intersect
How Physics and Philosophy Intersect
By Dhyani Joshi
As a pre-med student, I’ve often found myself wondering, “Why do I need to study physics?”
Physics is, by definition, a subject of derivations of complex formulas, a branch concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy. Though, since studying physics, I have come to realise that physics is more than just formulas and calculations. It is a tool that sharpens your mind. Science is not just a subject, but a lifestyle, and it is linked to philosophy in more ways than we can imagine.
When solving physics numericals, we force our brain to consider all possibilities, to think outside the box, thereby enhancing our thinking skills. When you get stuck, your brain automatically rewires to find a way out. Physics increases our curiosity about our surroundings, making us more observant. It enhances our intelligence, often without us even realizing it.
In physics, every little detail matters. Whether it is the speed of a particle in motion, the gravity acting on the particle, or simply the initial speed of zero, we cannot neglect a single thing. We have to consider it all. If you think about it philosophically, physics proves that nothing is insignificant—everything has a purpose, and everything happens for a reason. It teaches us that everything makes sense as long as you’re open-minded enough to think of all the possibilities.
Physics gives us hope of making the impossible possible, with one prime example being Schrödinger's Cat. Schrödinger's Cat is a famous thought experiment conducted by Erwin Schrödinger, a Nobel Prize-winning Austrian-Irish physicist. In his experiment, Schrödinger theorized that if one were to trap a cat in a box filled with radioactive atoms, one wouldn’t know whether the cat was alive or dead until one opened the box, thus inferring that at the time of opening, the cat can be considered both alive and dead simultaneously. Though disturbing, Schrödinger's experiment has proven to be accurate, concluding that particles can exist in more than one state until they are observed. While the experiment was primarily made on behalf of physics, it is considered a philosophical experiment because it challenges our understanding of reality, observation, and measurement in quantum mechanics. Illustrating the constraints of human perception, Schrödinger's experiment invites us to reconsider our beliefs, both atomically and mentally.
Physics is in every aspect of our lives, and yes, it has a great significance in our day-to-day activities. It is more than just numbers, derivations, and formulas. Physics is everywhere, even inside you.
It is truly as Albert Einstein once said: “The greatest scientists are artists as well.” Why? Because both scientists and artists have one vital thing in common: they strive to create something from nothing.
