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Indian man of 100 goes back to university for PhD

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Indian man of 100 goes back to university for PhD

#13

Post by philk »

swah wrote: post #12

I thought folks here would criticize him from taking the place from someone who would have time to use his knowledge. So why didn't this happen? Do you guys think knowledge has intrinsic value by itself?

Personally, I find the idea that you can still be doing something actually impressive[1] at that age inspirational and gives me hope as I age.

[1] By anyone's standards. Not "impressive for a 100 year old."

Re: Indian man of 100 goes back to university for PhD

#14

Post by mechanical_fish »

swah wrote: post #12

I thought folks here would criticize him from taking the place from someone who would have time to use his knowledge. So why didn't this happen? Do you guys think knowledge has intrinsic value by itself?

The doctoral programme he has embarked on involves field trips, interviews and finally writing a thesis.

It doesn't sound like he's necessarily taking the place of anyone. I don't smell a lot of grant money in this kind of research, nor do I see a lot of equipment or lab space being required.

And, yes, research has value. If this fellow writes down what he knows, and what he finds out, people in the future will be able to read it. That's creating something of value. Would it be better if this hundred-year-old smart guy took all his knowledge to the grave?

Nowadays it's fashionable to think of all education, right up to the Ph.D. level, as a kind of jobs training program, but in fact the traditional point of the Ph.D. isn't to make yourself smarter. It's to make the world smarter by doing some original research and then publishing it.

Re: Indian man of 100 goes back to university for PhD

#15

Post by robryan »

swah wrote: post #12

I thought folks here would criticize him from taking the place from someone who would have time to use his knowledge. So why didn't this happen? Do you guys think knowledge has intrinsic value by itself?

There isn't any guarantee that a young person gaining a PHd won't leave the field or move into a position for the money where there PHd work is irrelevant. The work, providing of enough value to society, will always exist though.

Re: Indian man of 100 goes back to university for PhD

#16

Post by vog »

swah wrote: post #12

I thought folks here would criticize him from taking the place from someone who would have time to use his knowledge. So why didn't this happen? Do you guys think knowledge has intrinsic value by itself?

> Do you guys think knowledge has intrinsic value by itself?

While knowledge may have no intrinsic value, the act of learning does!

Exciting and satisfying your curiosity is one of the best things you to can do for your brain. And staying mentally healthy in old age is something very valuable. It's definitely better than just watching TV, playing cards or solving crossword puzzles. Learning is more comparable with traveling, but with a lot less stress for the (aged) body. And it's more interactive than just reading, and interactivity is very important, too.

Re: Indian man of 100 goes back to university for PhD

#17

Post by zephyrfalcon »

swah wrote: post #12

I thought folks here would criticize him from taking the place from someone who would have time to use his knowledge. So why didn't this happen? Do you guys think knowledge has intrinsic value by itself?

That reminds me of this quote [0]:

"You're a real gold-mine of useless information, you know that, Beldin?" Silk said.

"There's no such thing as useless information, Kheldar," Beldin sniffed.

[0] David Eddings, the Mallereon book 5, The Seeress of Kell [...of all places]

Re: Indian man of 100 goes back to university for PhD

#19

Post by [deleted] »

zephyrfalcon wrote: post #17
swah wrote: post #12

I thought folks here would criticize him from taking the place from someone who would have time to use his knowledge. So why didn't this happen? Do you guys think knowledge has intrinsic value by itself?

That reminds me of this quote [0]: "You're a real gold-mine of useless information, you know that, Beldin?" Silk said. "There's no such thing as useless information, Kheldar," Beldin sniffed. [0] David Eddings, the Mallereon book 5, The Seeress of Kell [...of all places]

[deleted]
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