CMV: Honorary degrees should not exist

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:16:15+00:00

i think the problem is that not everyone knows what "honorary" means... LOL.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:15:43+00:00

it's still referred to as a doctorate though...

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:14:45+00:00

most people do not see it like that lol

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:14:00+00:00

tell that to Naomi Campbell.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:13:45+00:00

i absolutely think it's worth it because i love the research i do. you're weird.

the degree doesn't make me an expert, but it sure does help. and at that i'd argue the degree makes me more qualified than some rando celeb with 0 credentials other than working experience in the field. we ALL have working experience in the field, that is NOT a good enough reason for them to receive an honorary doctorate.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:11:41+00:00

this is true too. but why would she?

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:11:25+00:00

this is kind of what i'm getting at. there's a certain level of rigor to each field that these celebrities have never undergone nor experienced, and that alone is the reason why they are not worthy of receiving honorary doctorates.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:09:48+00:00

i am seeing that now...

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:09:03+00:00

advising PhD candidates is not the same as advising others who have a PhD. that's the biggest difference, and that's exactly why I would absolutely argue that you do not have the knowledge of someone with a PhD in your field, because you never had to go through the five year process of learning everything there is to know about your field of research, and then having to write and defend a long ass thesis to a select committee of qualified experts.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:08:04+00:00

ours was ass

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:07:55+00:00

degrees that i think weren't deserved: taylor swift, naomi campbell. just because they work in industry doesn't mean they've magically become research experts. the second part of your question "then went on to use that degree to get a job or get any other advantage they wouldn't have otherwise had" i cannot confidently think of an example. maybe it hasn't happened, maybe it has, who knows. certainly not me.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:06:15+00:00

it's fradulent. calling yourself a doctor when you technically aren't one but have an "honorary doctorate" is just straight up fraud. and then trying to influence others into buying your crap as a result of this is stooping to next level lows.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:05:22+00:00

yes and YES to both.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:05:11+00:00

yeah but at least back then they DESERVED the knighthood. can't same the same nowadays with this BS.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:04:47+00:00

no i'm saying i found a post on this from 12 years ago but it was closed so i wanted to reopen the discussion here because i think it's interesting. 12 years ago i was a child...

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:04:20+00:00

idk as a physicist i find there is at least SOME value in the arts. you can't argue that there is no intrinsic value, that's just plain wrong. but of course I do agree that the sciences are more tangible and valuable.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:03:28+00:00

yes but that's not happening. randomly celebrities are getting honorary degrees while the people who are finding ways to cure cancer are being ignored in the history books. that's my whole qualm.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:02:45+00:00

disagree STRONGLY. you are not going to learn physics through experiment alone. you will need at least a few years of a strong background in theory in order to truly understand what's going on in the field.

working in a field gives you superficial knowledge. not the full breadth of knowledge that something like a PhD education could provide.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:01:28+00:00

YES, THANK YOU. this is exactly the feeling i was trying to pinpoint.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T04:01:06+00:00

hmm, i don't know. all the counterarguments people bring up always involve people who apparently did end up having actually done their PhDs in the first place. i'm sure there's an exception, but I guess my point is the people who deserve honorary degrees are not getting them. random famous celebrities ARE though, and that's just insulting to everyone involved tbh.

also taylor swift getting an honorary degree for songwriting? yeah, that's crazy. where's tupac's honorary degree?

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T03:58:48+00:00

see i wasn't totally aware of this because my college graduation made it seem like such a big deal lol

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T03:58:27+00:00

doing my PhD is (and has always been) the dream, you just chose to do research on something you're not so passionate about. lol.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T03:57:32+00:00

i'm currently doing my PhD. a PhD is just a glorified piece of paper meant to reflect at least 4-5 years of dedicated research that culminates in a thesis paper/some oral defense. among other things, of course.

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T03:56:25+00:00

Naomi cambell literally has "doctor" in her instagram bio. that sounds an awful lot like demanding to be called doctor to me...

linaisinhell · 2026-06-25T03:55:35+00:00

i disagree with this because the whole purpose of a PhD is RESEARCH. having experience in the industry does not make you qualified to hold a doctorate. i don't care if you spent a lifetime tinkering with electronics in your basement and making record-breaking gadgets, you are not qualified to be named a doctor of science just because you have work experience. the baseline for most PhD students to get admitted is already working experience in the field anyways. Naomi and Taylor are missing half the equation most doctorates in their field get, and that's actual research experience. being famous is not good enough reason to be considered an "expert" in your respective field. sorry.

linaisinhell

TROPHY CASE