this post was submitted on 18 Nov 2023
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A PhD is not the only way to expand human knowledge. This is disregarding a lot of work done by a lot of hard working people.
No one says it was the only way? But one of the requirements of getting that PhD is to expand knowledge so it's 100% applicable
You might be surprised to learn it doesn't actually suggest a PhD is the only way to expand human knowledge. No one was disregarded.
I don't think it's meant to do that. Also if we substitute PhD for learning both will be true.
As their specialised knowledge reaches the edge of the circle, their general knowledge updating should retract.
Everyone has met a PhD that is almost entirely clueless in other areas. Not their fault though, don't get me wrong.
Edit: The person that downvoted must be Dr. Climate Change Denier. Dr. Covid Denier has joined the fray.
That's not universally true. I know several people with PhD who have encyclopedic knowledge completely outside their specialisation. Some people are just super intelligent, talented and have enormous memory. The world is not fair.
It's funny but you see the same thing in sports, or I see it specifically in hockey. Phenom kid gets drafted and at 18 has the social skills of the hockey puck he's playing with. By the time he's 36 he's not the player he once was but is a more well rounded individual with age and experience. When you focus all your energy to become the best at something, like a PhD, athlete, musician, whatever, you sacrifice some things along the way for sure.
When u look at most people I feel like the trending alternative at 18-50 y is personality of a hockey puck and also skills of a hockey puck, with the reasoning ability of the hockey puck.
I feel so called out. I’m alright in my field but completely clueless outside of it.
Presumably you could meet the boundary with "a dollah fifty in late fees at the public library" and find a way to push through from there. You'd have to find a way to publish or share your new knowledge. Studying at uni gives you access to experts in their own thing that likely have knowledge that could help you with your thing as well as a system designed to churn out these papers when you eventually find your thing.
Every day people discover new things but it takes attention, effort, and will to PROVE it's a new thing and more yet to share that with the world. Too bad you can't get an honorary PhD for doing that, at least not reliably.
Good luck expanding the fields of math and science without a PhD.
Like the guy who found this somehow important new shape not to long ago? I don't think he has a PhD. But he did contribute. Not saying that it's easy though.
I have no idea what you're talking about, but I expected someone to bring up some shit like that. My point still stands.
Lookup the Einstein problem. I'm talking about the aperiodic monotile discovered by David Smith.
Yes but how will I feel good that I spent 140k on a piece of paper if I don't brag about it?
Imagine having to pay for education
most PhDs are paid a salary.
I've been making six figures while getting my PhD. There are plenty of opportunities to get your PhD funded if you are a US citizen. There are plenty more valid places to poke fun at pursuing a PhD but it is very common to have funding and thus no debt.
wtf kind of university are you studying at? We get minimum wage here