Calling a Ph.D "Doctor"

[Anonymous]

I consider a PhD an insult to common sense.

[Anonymous]

I have my Columbia PhD in Esoteric Buddhism and currently teach college students. While most of my ugrad friends in my program went on to do Wall Street, consulting or law school, I know I'm being somewhat frivolous, but I'm not dependent on anyone or using up public funds.

I think that as robotics take over more functions and jobs, there will be more time for leisurely study of the arts. So maybe I'm ahead of my time.

Ganbatte ne!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not useful to call a PhD doctor unless you are at a university. Like, should my friend who has a joke PhD (yes, she had a friend get her into the program because her test scores were THAT BAD and her writing is totally incoherent) get that title? Should my friend who has a doctorate in art history get called "Doctor" when he's at work as a web designer? Seriously? Fuck off you insecure twat.

It is not "useful" to call a PhD doctor even at a university.

It is not "useful" to call an MD doctor even in a hospital.

It is simply a matter of courtesy - calling them by a professional title that they earned.

If your friend who has a doctorate in art history wants to be called doctor, then yes, seriously, that's what you should call him. It costs you nothing to do so.

Are you so insecure that you can't say two "useless" syllables to someone as a simple courtesy?

[Anonymous]

whatever makes them feel good about themselves.

we all know the truth. we all know they didn't do 48 hour shifts at a teaching hospital, or pass organic chemistry, or make it through a med school app process or match day. we also know they don't make decisions under uncertainly every day, nor life/death decisions, nor have weighty decisions to make while taking 4 years to maybe publish something in a niche journal.

and they can thank us any day for paying taxes to support the grant money for their 6+ years of grad school toils.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:whatever makes them feel good about themselves.

we all know the truth. we all know they didn't do 48 hour shifts at a teaching hospital, or pass organic chemistry, or make it through a med school app process or match day. we also know they don't make decisions under uncertainly every day, nor life/death decisions, nor have weighty decisions to make while taking 4 years to maybe publish something in a niche journal.

and they can thank us any day for paying taxes to support the grant money for their 6+ years of grad school toils.

Um, not clear what the point is that you're trying to make. So anything that's not med school is not a worthy professional endeavor? Why is med school the comparator?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:whatever makes them feel good about themselves.

we all know the truth. we all know they didn't do 48 hour shifts at a teaching hospital, or pass organic chemistry, or make it through a med school app process or match day. we also know they don't make decisions under uncertainly every day, nor life/death decisions, nor have weighty decisions to make while taking 4 years to maybe publish something in a niche journal.

and they can thank us any day for paying taxes to support the grant money for their 6+ years of grad school toils.

Um, not clear what the point is that you're trying to make. So anything that's not med school is not a worthy professional endeavor? Why is med school the comparator?

PP is resentful that my PhD (physics) was paid for 100% by grant funds. I also supplied very cheap labor to the gov't while doing my research, and we made some import discoveries that actually matter. After finishing, I made decent money; now I am paid near the median salary for primary care physician with zero debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:whatever makes them feel good about themselves.

we all know the truth. we all know they didn't do 48 hour shifts at a teaching hospital, or pass organic chemistry, or make it through a med school app process or match day. we also know they don't make decisions under uncertainly every day, nor life/death decisions, nor have weighty decisions to make while taking 4 years to maybe publish something in a niche journal.

and they can thank us any day for paying taxes to support the grant money for their 6+ years of grad school toils.

Um, not clear what the point is that you're trying to make. So anything that's not med school is not a worthy professional endeavor? Why is med school the comparator?

PP is resentful that my PhD (physics) was paid for 100% by grant funds. I also supplied very cheap labor to the gov't while doing my research, and we made some import discoveries that actually matter. After finishing, I made decent money; now I am paid near the median salary for primary care physician with zero debt.

I'm the immediate poster before you. I have a PhD in a "soft" science (think, epidemiology or similar), but have read several lay astrophysics books for fun (Brief History of Time, The Elegant Universe, etc.). I'm curious about the discoveries made in your lab while in grad school. Very cool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:whatever makes them feel good about themselves.

we all know the truth. we all know they didn't do 48 hour shifts at a teaching hospital, or pass organic chemistry, or make it through a med school app process or match day. we also know they don't make decisions under uncertainly every day, nor life/death decisions, nor have weighty decisions to make while taking 4 years to maybe publish something in a niche journal.

and they can thank us any day for paying taxes to support the grant money for their 6+ years of grad school toils.

Um, not clear what the point is that you're trying to make. So anything that's not med school is not a worthy professional endeavor? Why is med school the comparator?

PP is resentful that my PhD (physics) was paid for 100% by grant funds. I also supplied very cheap labor to the gov't while doing my research, and we made some import discoveries that actually matter. After finishing, I made decent money; now I am paid near the median salary for primary care physician with zero debt.

I'm the immediate poster before you. I have a PhD in a "soft" science (think, epidemiology or similar), but have read several lay astrophysics books for fun (Brief History of Time, The Elegant Universe, etc.). I'm curious about the discoveries made in your lab while in grad school. Very cool!

My work had to do with the mechanics of mountain building and how it relates to earthquake hazards. We specifically looked at earthquakes to image the stress field under several mountain ranges. Big thing was ending the concept of aseismic deformation; this mattered because it lead to understanding that regions without earthquakes could more be because of the time between them rather than because they are aseismic. Think Pacific NW, as an example. We postulated warning that the area under central Taiwan appeared to be overdue for a major earthquake, based on numerical modeling in the early 90's. Unfortunately, we were proven right in 1999.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What entails respect? Earning potential or the ability to excel/specialize in a field/ area of interest ? Acquiring a Phd reqyuires perseverance and passion for knowledge. I think that deserves respect. Being hung up on titles is a whole another thing

OP here. I'm a lawyer involved in litigation and am trying to get documents from her. I'm not saying a PhD is worthless by any stretch.

Maybe she was trying to establish her credentials as an expert witness.

[Anonymous]

I'm slightly amused this thread is still going...but it's DCUM.

I will share this. There are lots of MDs (well, equivalent degree from a different country) in my family. Both my parents, my first cousin, and my grandfather. When I received my PhD, my grandfather said, "I'm so proud to finally have a real doctor in the family."

And some very interesting reading on the origins and use of the term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)

TL;DR, ontologically, PhDs are, in fact, the real doctors. American MDs are insecure, apparently, and need to cull the title for themselves.

-- PhD who rarely uses Dr LastName, especially because I start looking around for one of my parents when I hear it

[Anonymous]

I am confused by MDs protesting here. If I understand correctly, many MD, called doctors of medicine, do not hold an actual PhDs. Hence doctor is an honorary, historically accepted term that has no bearing on them actually being PhD in their field. Some might be, but most are not. My own sister is a surgeon, and yes she spent a lot of time specializing her field, but she still wishes she had a PhD in her field, which she does not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:whatever makes them feel good about themselves.

we all know the truth. we all know they didn't do 48 hour shifts at a teaching hospital, or pass organic chemistry, or make it through a med school app process or match day. we also know they don't make decisions under uncertainly every day, nor life/death decisions, nor have weighty decisions to make while taking 4 years to maybe publish something in a niche journal.

and they can thank us any day for paying taxes to support the grant money for their 6+ years of grad school toils.

Um, not clear what the point is that you're trying to make. So anything that's not med school is not a worthy professional endeavor? Why is med school the comparator?

PP is resentful that my PhD (physics) was paid for 100% by grant funds. I also supplied very cheap labor to the gov't while doing my research, and we made some import discoveries that actually matter. After finishing, I made decent money; now I am paid near the median salary for primary care physician with zero debt.

I'm the immediate poster before you. I have a PhD in a "soft" science (think, epidemiology or similar), but have read several lay astrophysics books for fun (Brief History of Time, The Elegant Universe, etc.). I'm curious about the discoveries made in your lab while in grad school. Very cool!

My work had to do with the mechanics of mountain building and how it relates to earthquake hazards. We specifically looked at earthquakes to image the stress field under several mountain ranges. Big thing was ending the concept of aseismic deformation; this mattered because it lead to understanding that regions without earthquakes could more be because of the time between them rather than because they are aseismic. Think Pacific NW, as an example. We postulated warning that the area under central Taiwan appeared to be overdue for a major earthquake, based on numerical modeling in the early 90's. Unfortunately, we were proven right in 1999.

Fellow PhD in soft science. That is so cool!!

[Anonymous]

OP do you work in the West wing and your co worker is Dr Sebastian Gorka?

[Anonymous]

Well i had a pediatrician call me Mommy a while ago so since i have a phd i told that doctor that she should call me Dr soandso and not Mommy, since i am a doctor and i am not her mommy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well i had a pediatrician call me Mommy a while ago so since i have a phd i told that doctor that she should call me Dr soandso and not Mommy, since i am a doctor and i am not her mommy.