Why Do PhDs Have a Negative Reputation?

[jim mcnamara]

...
The US has always had a bit of an anti-intellectual streak to it. That pile of **** that khemix posted, and the derogatory words I posted, exemplify that streak. ..

D H has a firm grip on it. Without invoking personal experiences - you see it everywhere.
Films often have super smart nerds or scientists as the bad guys. I cannot recall a film where the really smart guy or the well-educated guy/gal saves the day and is the hero.

The reading level in most print media in the US is about US grade 5-6. Back when I was on a software development team, our company had to hire people to 'dumb down' the manuals we had written before we could market the product. The folks hired were tech writers and they actually used software metrics to shoot for a 5.5 reading level.

~30% of people in the US do not graduate high school:
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo.htm
These folks can't read well, analyze, apply the Scientific Method, or perform routine arithmetic operations well. So if they derive information from TV and streaming media, they view Jerry Springer as a genius and a fount of knowledge. Which in some ways he actually is.

So it'd be tough for them to even imagine what a PhD does to get thru grad school.

 

[Moonbear]

~30% of people in the US do not graduate high school:
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo.htm

That seems to be calculating a statistic based on assumptions rather than looking at actual numbers. First, it's comparing public high school diplomas to 8th grade enrollment in public schools. That doesn't account all the students who move out of the public school system and into private schools for high school. It also doesn't account for those delayed a year (this doesn't have to be for bad performance either...it could have been a prolonged illness). It didn't account for students who didn't live to graduation either. In fact, it wouldn't even account for the overachiever who graduates early. 30% drop out rate sounds highly over-inflated. It doesn't even make sense intuitively. For every school with really low drop-out rates, you'd have to have one where almost nobody is graduating to get that sort of drop-out rate. I think someone would notice if a school had no graduates.

 

[noumed]

This discussion reminds me of said comic...

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1056

 

[arunma]

It seems like you're extrapolating your experience with biologists to the general academic population. For all I know, that is the case. But do you really think that a substantial portion of math, physics, and engineering majors intend to go to med school or to law school?

Heh, actually I was pre-med until the end of my junior year. In fact I was planning to do my physics degree with a biology emphasis and then go to med school. (Un?)fortunately I decided I liked physics better, took a few advanced undergrad physics courses instead of completing the biology requirements, and went to grad school in astrophysics.

But as you say, this is the exception rather than the norm.

 

[LightbulbSun]

This discussion reminds me of said comic...

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1056

I know its a subtlety, but the general public literally takes that at face value and truly believes the more knowledge you have, the more stupid you become. I have actually seen this in my everyday life this type of thinking.

 

[Phyisab****]

I've found that there is a large part of the US population that literally does not believe in science. I once (very) briefly dated a girl who asked me "you don't actually think that stuff is real, do you?" with respect to quantum physics. They have no understanding of the levels of scientific inquiry and mathematics which led to things like their computer, internet, tv, and microwave. It seems like lots of people will go through their entire life without thinking "I wonder how this computer actually works?"***edited for dyslexia

 

[tyroman]

I Googled "more and more about less and less" which I recall as the core phrase in an example of common perceptions of higher education and was surprised to learn of its source... see;

http://angrylabrat.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-know-everything-about-nothing.html

"("Philosophers are people who know less and less about more and more, until they know nothing about everything. Scientists are people who know more and more about less and less, until they know everything about nothing." -- (Konrad Lorenz? Web sources vary, so I gave up looking).")

noumed's post #38 humorously depicts the same perspective;
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1056

 

[renz]

I don't think they are more difficult at all. In fact, I bet physics is harder due to its abstract nature which requires heavy thinking, whereas the other two are more about reciting facts. I think its much harder to get into med or law because you are competing with the countries best pool.

and you're posting this in a physics forum?

Do you really think the students who go to good PhD programs in physics actually rather be in med school or law school? Maybe you should check out physicsgre forum and see what type of students and what are their credentials for being accepted.
I can assure you if the students are not among the tops, they will NOT survive grad school in physics. That probably goes for other hard sciences as well.

 

[fourier jr]

"I think we all know what BS stands for, and PhD stands for piled higher & deeper" Hasn't anyone heard that before?