Someone recently posted a comment that having advance degrees do not necessarily equate (superior (my words)) intelligence. While I realize that many people with advance degrees are intelligent, I can't help but reflect on the many others in the world, be it due to circumstances or the lack of desires to do "formal" or advance studies--who are indeed extremely intelligent and very knowledgable. I wonder if we with advance degrees have more often than not set up a type of "caste" system to help us feel better (smarter, superior) about ourselves much in the same way that countries with titled nobilities have for those whom it bestows such honors? I hope I'm not stepping on any toes too hard by raising this discussion. EsqPhD
I think it was John Bear that said someof the smartest people he ever met never graduated high school, while some of the biggest dolts on the planet have advanced degrees from Ivy League schools. I would tend to agree, and also say that there is a huge difference between intelligence and common sense. I had a professor who was brilliant in his field, advanced degrees, etc., but I would hardly trust him to drive my car down the block.
1. Can "intelligence" be defined and/or measured? 2. If it can (or if we can agree on a definition/measurement), wouldn't it be reasonable that intelligence and higher educational accomplishments correlate? Not perfectly, of course, but the examples we hear are the exception, not the rule. An anectdote that contradicts a theory does not by itself disprove the theory. There are exceptions to every rule. 3. Does it really matter? Probably to some people. Decision-makers weigh these ideas all the time. Jobs that require degrees do so for a reason: applicants with those degrees tend to be more successful than those that do not. Sometimes the particular skills learned in the degree program are necessary to perform the job. But often they're not; the person with higher degrees is likely a stronger candidate and more likely to be successful. On the other hand, Hapgood argued in Diplomaism that our society relies upon degrees and credentials as crutches, where we fail to get at the applicants' true capabilites. "Diplomaism" is the creeping demand of more and more credentials to do essentially the same jobs. Example: a nurse with a nursing school diploma now needs an associate's (at least) to get an RN. And the BSN is quickly becoming the standard credential, with the MSN almost required to become a nurse trainer or supervisor. And so forth. So maybe we rely upon credentials to sort through piles of applications. We take the people that don't have the required credentials and quickly weed them out. Do we lose good candidates in the process? Almost certainly. But it is almost as certain that we will still select someone good enough for the job. And we will have gotten through the process. Perhaps the best people aren't always selected because they are excluded due to a lack of credentials. But qualified people are usually selected, and that's the real issue. It may not seem fair (from the applicants' view pionts), but it is true. Rich Douglas
Very good points Rich. I just wish that the hiring people would look at the whole person, rather than just their diplomas. I'm sure we've all had professors who were great academics, but sorely lacked people skills, and that makes for a miserable learning experience. Bruce
Interesting topic. And yes, it is inevitable that toes will be stepped on. That's obviously true. I do think that university degrees correlate well with "advanced knowledge" in academic subjects. Physics Ph.D.s are far more apt to know a lot about physics than high school dropouts. But there are non-academic subjects like automobile mechanics where degrees may actually be inversely proportional (to a slight statistical degree) to knowledge and skill. Many skilled trades are probably like that. As to "intelligence" as opposed to subject-matter knowledge? You have to define intelligence first which is difficult. But while I can't define it, I think I can recognize it. I think that people with high intelligence are more apt to be interested in things not directly involved with their own lives. They show greater curiosity and intellectual interaction with their wider environment. Dr. Bear flies off to Ulan Bataar. They are also far more apt to think comfortably in abstractions. Their thought is less apt to be in terms of personalities or even in inanimate but tangible terms. You would expect to find greater use of theoretical concepts. Do we see this more often among the educated? We clearly do in the sciences and mathematics, but you find it even in the humanities and the more practical subjects: Music theory, hermeneutics, the M-2 money supply, the rules of evidence. Moving from intelligence to the even more vaguely defied "good judgement" and "maturity", I have to say that I see very little correlation between university education and superior function. The recent events on this group could illustrate that. As does the propensity for academics to become political fanatics or slaves of badly conceived academic fashion. Some of the wisest people I have ever known have only had high school diplomas. Their words still guide my life, or would if I listened. Wisdom is not intelligence which is not knowledge. I think that is 100% correct. A large part of the appeal of a Ph.D. is that it confers a title. It is difficult in this day and age to become "Sir" or "Lord", particularly in America. But we can become "Dr." and insist that everyone else address us that way. We see it in the arguments about which kind of doctorate is a "higher" doctorate. We see it in the never ending arguments about which universities are "better" than others, and in the ridiculous "tier" rankings. We see it in our nationalism-driven arguments about which nation has better degrees. I think that the majority of it is psychology driven. Academics pore over this stuff like people once did over orders of chivalry. Is a Knight Grand Cross "higher" than a Knight Bachelor? It is a search for status, a way of altering one's relative standing in the herd. Young bucks butt each other with their antlers, we go to graduate school.
