Great point. If someone without credentials were truly doing ground-breaking stuff in the field, then getting a PhD should practically be a formality--schools s

Great point. If someone without credentials were truly doing ground-breaking stuff in the field, then getting a PhD should practically be a formality--schools should be banging the door down trying to recruit that person just for the status of having him or her (with full tuition waiver plus generous stipend being the bare starting ground).