Re: A little off subject...Re: Sue had no wishbone...

[Darryl Jones <dinoguy@sympatico.ca>]

At 04:30 AM 2/25/2001, you wrote:
>   In response to Steve Brusatte's comments on Pete Larson, and
> the preceeding on Bakker, it should be known that Bakker
> possesses a PhD in biology, Horner an honorary degree in
> [Philosophy?] from Yale, and Pete Larson had undergone six years
> to get his doctorate, but had been turned down at the last. Not
> one I would not call a un-professional, and each is an avid
> member of Academia. Often, all a doctorate is is a few letters
> after your name, but this often signifies the years of training
> one has gone through, so in fact, it _does_ mean something.
Horner's Honourary Doctorate is an "Honorary Doctorate of Science, 
University of Montana, 1986 " (off the MOR website).  Pete Larson was 
working on his Masters, not his doctorate.  He got turned down because he 
took too long to complete his courses and his supervisor said he would have 
to redo his courses.

As for a PhD meaning something, I think it is VERY important.  It stands 
for years of training.  You wouldn't go to a person who said "well, I have 
no formal training, but I have some great ideas" if you were gravely ill, 
would you?  Yes, I think amateurs can add a lot to the science, but many 
comments on this list seem to me to be dismissing academia.



Darryl Jones  <dinoguy@sympatico.ca>

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