I didn't even know dinosaurs existed or how prevalent they were! Thinking about it, it's not at all clear to me that a PhD, having spent years researching a single narrow unworked topic (which, as Ryle humorously said, were probably unworked for a reason), is better prepared to teach undergraduates than, say, a BPhil, who spent those years reading more widely and contemplating more general philosophical questions.
Yes, you need to know something to teach, and in the case of an activity like philosophy it's good if your ability is vetted, but writing a dissertation doesn't do much to make someone a good teacher of undergraduates.
I didn't even know dinosaurs existed or how prevalent they were! Thinking about it, it's not at all clear to me that a PhD, having spent years researching a single narrow unworked topic (which, as Ryle humorously said, were probably unworked for a reason), is better prepared to teach undergraduates than, say, a BPhil, who spent those years reading more widely and contemplating more general philosophical questions.
ReplyDeleteYes, you need to know something to teach, and in the case of an activity like philosophy it's good if your ability is vetted, but writing a dissertation doesn't do much to make someone a good teacher of undergraduates.
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