 |
 |
April 23 Dear Dave E, Getting two PhDs does not evince madness. I suggest that what is appropriate is respect rather than, as appears customary on this list, ridicule. There are persons who get two doctorates because they want to master linking fields. For example, philosophers nowadays are almost required to be expert in another field, such as a science. Not all proceed to a second doctorate, but many do immerse themselves in a second field. The greatest case I have ever come upon is that of an American philosopher of science, Kenneth Schaffner, who received a PhD in philosophy and then got an MD--this to be able to understand science in medicine. He wasn't nuts. Maybe you should read his DISCOVERY AND EXPLANATION IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE before presuming to judge others. On a separate issue: Western academic standards are infinitely higher than those found in native cultures because they are self-critical--a point that has happily been made already. The West evinces what Popper calls an open society. Only slowly is the rest of the world moving from a closed society to an open one. For us to be informed that it is the West which is close-minded is laughable. For example, the study of the Bible has been blessed by the emergence of criticism--a development that goes back to Spinoza. The study of the Koran would benefit from a comparable process, which, for all I know, has begun. In the scientific culture of the West one is free to make any claim, but one is then required to back it up. One cannot appeal to authority, as often holds elsewhere. And appeals to one's own struggle with a bad marriage or lifetime illness are not germane. Academic life is not for everyone, but it is for anyone who is serious about studying a subject. The fact that a PhD scarcely guarantees a job is a separate consideration. And academia can pay very well--for those who do well by its standards, which are objective. Robert ________________________________________ From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dr Dave Evans [[log in to unmask]] Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 6:42 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] two PhDs, was Digest - 23 Apr 2012 - Special issue (#2012-84) both excellent scholars, both male, both a little bit nuts, IMO. One did enough for my hair colour and mental health... It would be an interesting project to see which disciplines such 'Doctor Squared' folk (as i call them, 2 PhDs) do their first and second doctorates in, across academia in general. I have a suspicion that many will be n harder sciences, followed by softer interpretative areas, as i think that some peole do a PhD for a job, and later decide to do something in an area of personal interest in order to make a career change. Interestingly, both of the Dr2s that I know are working outside academia now. Dave E The University of Aberdeen is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013683.