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I have a PhD in physics though I became an entrepreneur. My loose definition of science is that you observe, predict, experiment, and honestly report your resul
by spodek 15y ago
I have a PhD in physics though I became an entrepreneur. My loose definition of science is that you observe, predict, experiment, and honestly report your results.
Five-year-olds can do that.
I have found exploring and studying nature one of the more rewarding and pleasurable parts of my life. I've done it as a member of academic institutions, but I also do it just walking in the park.
Three things I wouldn't confuse:
a) membership or funding in an academic institution
b) recognition from peers
c) practicing science
I consider them orthogonal. I consider a) a job, b) a nice perk, and c) an enjoyable pasttime or hobby. Great when they overlap but unnecessary.
- SilasX 15y ago>My loose definition of science is that you observe, predict, experiment, and honestly report your results. I would add one more thing: you become aware of others' efforts to do the same and build off of their work rather than "re-invent the wheel". (That doesn't mean you take it uncritically, just that you know what has been tried.) That part is, AFAICT, what PhD programs most intensely focus on, i.e., make sure you understand the existing work well enough that you can build on it rather than just independently re-discover results in the field. That part is also (usually) beyond the reach of five-year-olds. Note: you can certainly still meet this requirement without an official PhD program, of course.