21–29 of 29 posts
Serious question: What is the point of this site?
Classic science was conducted to gain knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Modern 'science' is conducted to serve an economic purpose. Classic science is on the decline in favor of result-driven studies.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> For instance I was surprised that a postdoc scientist makes roughly the same as a McDonalds Store Manager (~$39k). The joys of supply and demand.
The McDonald's Store Manager is helping feed people. What is the average postdoc doing for the world? (I say this as a postdoc)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug
edit: i just realized there is a "billions served" joke in there somewhere...
Serious question: What is the point of this site?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The McDonald's Store Manager is helping feed people. What is the average postdoc doing for the world? (I say this as a postdoc)
Idk about 'average' (what does the average [insert any classification of person] do for the world?), but here is an example of a postdoc feeding the world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug edit: i just realized there is a "billions served" joke in there somewhere...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Idk about 'average' (what does the average [insert any classification of person] do for the world?), but here is an example of a postdoc feeding the world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug edit: i just realized there is a "billions served" joke in there somewhere...
actually, no. Borlaug went straight from his PhD into industry (worked for DuPont), then did some wartime stuff. The "postdoc" as a career stage did not exist at the time, most PhDs went into industry or straight into academic research as a professor. The postdoc, I think is an emergent phenomenon that is resulting from the broader academic bubble, largely fueled by several countries' nationalistic fervor to "produce…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
actually, no. Borlaug went straight from his PhD into industry (worked for DuPont), then did some wartime stuff. The "postdoc" as a career stage did not exist at the time, most PhDs went into industry or straight into academic research as a professor. The postdoc, I think is an emergent phenomenon that is resulting from the broader academic bubble, largely fueled by several countries' nationalistic fervor to "produce…
whoops, I stand corrected. Thank you. He is still a good example of science working well for the world. (even if it is born out of industry)
Skimmed around the site for all of 30 seconds and saw this [1]: > Only 0.1% of published exploratory research is estimated to be reproducible. Which sounds downright absurd . Only one in one thousand studies are even in principle able to be performed again? So I followed the reference. As far as I can tell, it doesn't say that. Based on skimming the reference[2], I think the 0.1% number comes from the section "An Exa…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Idk about 'average' (what does the average [insert any classification of person] do for the world?), but here is an example of a postdoc feeding the world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug edit: i just realized there is a "billions served" joke in there somewhere...
actually, no. Borlaug went straight from his PhD into industry (worked for DuPont), then did some wartime stuff. The "postdoc" as a career stage did not exist at the time, most PhDs went into industry or straight into academic research as a professor. The postdoc, I think is an emergent phenomenon that is resulting from the broader academic bubble, largely fueled by several countries' nationalistic fervor to "produce…