Subject: PhD and Deep Questions

From: "Phil Hultin" <hultin~at~cc.UManitoba.CA>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 10:23:16 -0500

Three cheers for Yao-Ying Chien's nephew!  I have often said that if I could
teach a class of students who had the knowledge and skills of 20-year olds
combined with the intellectual drive of 3-year olds (I have a 3-year old)
together we could do miracles.

There are a variety of names for academic degrees depending on the country
in question, and even the individual school.  Thus, Oxford gives a D. Phil.
degree, for example, which is similar to the PhD given elsewhere.

The important question is not what the degrees are called, but what they
actually MEAN.  Yao-Ying's nephew had this bang on.  Just what does it mean
to be a "Doctor of Philosophy"?  Unfortunately, for many science students
this seems to be simply a certificate that they are really good at mixing
the right chemicals, or tweaking the right knob on a machine, or writing
code that actually runs.  All of these things are good skills to have, and
very important for specific areas of science, but they are of much less
importance than what is implied by the word "Philosophy".

Being a "Doctor of Philosophy" should (IMHO) mean that one is driven by a
true love of knowledge and understanding of the world (universe) around us
to become ever more skilled in the quest for more knowledge and
understanding.  It MAY also imply (and I think probably should also imply)
that one is skilled in applying one's knowledge and understanding to improve
the world around us, but since this involves a value judgement it is
difficult to include in a definition.

I think it is wonderful that most universities give the same Ph.D. degree to
graduates in what we like to call "the Arts", "the Sciences", "Engineering",
"the Social Sciences" etc etc.  All of these artificial distinctions are no
more than convenient ways to categorize the world around us in terms of
specific classes of questions that may be asked.  The true Philosopher
recognizes the kinship of all branches of knowledge, and grants pre-eminence
to no particular branch a priori.

Because all of us have only a little time on this earth, we must by
necessity specialize in order to achieve anything, but we should nonetheless
strive (whether we hold the degree or not) to be true "Doctors of
Philosophy" insofar as we are able.

To Yao-Ying Chien: keep that nephew of yours asking these questions.
Together, you and he are walking along the road to Philosophy.  One of the
first steps on this road is to realize how little one actually knows, and
your posting shows that you and he are facing this realization - and it
showed me that I also could not answer his questions except by indirection.
Thank him for me, please.

The gods did not reveal from the beginning

All things to us; but in the course of time,

Through seeking, men find that which is better.

But as for certain truth, no man has known it.

Nor will he know it.

    Xenophanes (6th Century B.C.)

Dr. Philip G. Hultin
Associate Department Head and
Associate Professor of Chemistry
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3T 2N2
(vox) 204-474-9814
(fax) 204-474-7608
mailto:hultin~at~cc.umanitoba.ca
http://www.umanitoba.ca/chemistry/