E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
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Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#2Ramon y Cajal's "advice to a young investigator" is still quite good as well: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/advice-young-investigator
Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#3This is fascinating because it never mentions the role of publishing in the field of science. There is a huge pressure to "publish or perish" which seems at odds with much of the advice given here.
Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#4Well, it is good advice, but you also have to keep in mind that it has become a lot more competitive since the time that E.O. Wilson became a Harvard professor. He grew up in the age of an expanding faculty, not competing with the entire world for a professorship, and let's just say... a world interested in the lives of ants.
Not to cast any doubt whatsoever on his impressive scholarship and advances for the public good of science at all, but the environment he succeeded in is not the same world that today's young professors face.
You should do all the things he suggests. But don't expect that that alone will lead to greatness without a lot of luck too.
Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#5This is fascinating because it never mentions the role of publishing in the field of science. There is a huge pressure to "publish or perish" which seems at odds with much of the advice given here.
Because EO Wilson had the great fortune to be borne into a world less focussed on peer review citation index scores and annual grant applications. Other people did ranking and grants were just handled differently.
Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#6Well, it is good advice, but you also have to keep in mind that it has become a lot more competitive since the time that E.O. Wilson became a Harvard professor. He grew up in the age of an expanding faculty, not competing with the entire world for a professorship, and let's just say... a world interested in the lives of ants. Not to cast any doubt whatsoever on his impressive scholarship and advances for the public g…
Well, it is titled "on becoming a great scientist," not "on playing the academic system for adequate remuneration and a tenure track position." Great scientists are the same kinds of people and they do the same kinds of things, it's just now becoming a great scientist is not a path to feeding a family.
Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#7Well, it is good advice, but you also have to keep in mind that it has become a lot more competitive since the time that E.O. Wilson became a Harvard professor. He grew up in the age of an expanding faculty, not competing with the entire world for a professorship, and let's just say... a world interested in the lives of ants. Not to cast any doubt whatsoever on his impressive scholarship and advances for the public g…
Agreed that at least some luck (and the avoidance of bad luck) is essential for a modern academic career.
As I recall -- Not quite explicit in Letters from a Young Scientist: He worked really hard and is prolific. For those lucky-enough to hit personal resonance with a field of study, what looks like others to be really hard work is enabled by the joy of great passion.
It is a great book -- definitely worth a read.
Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#8Letters to a Young Scientist [1] was written in 2014. E. O. Wilson [2] has written five more books since then.
Deborah Gordon’s [3] work on red harvester ants may also be of interest to the HN community:
> In 2012, she found that the foraging behavior of red harvester ants matches the TCP congestion control algorithm.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_to_a_Young_Scientist
Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#9Well, it is good advice, but you also have to keep in mind that it has become a lot more competitive since the time that E.O. Wilson became a Harvard professor. He grew up in the age of an expanding faculty, not competing with the entire world for a professorship, and let's just say... a world interested in the lives of ants. Not to cast any doubt whatsoever on his impressive scholarship and advances for the public g…
Second this. I read a few chapters of the book and put it down. I was quite disappointed by its irrelevancy to the current state of the academia. Nothing against his time. It's just that the world has changed dramatically.
Re: E.O. Wilson on Becoming a Great Scientist
#10Well, it is good advice, but you also have to keep in mind that it has become a lot more competitive since the time that E.O. Wilson became a Harvard professor. He grew up in the age of an expanding faculty, not competing with the entire world for a professorship, and let's just say... a world interested in the lives of ants. Not to cast any doubt whatsoever on his impressive scholarship and advances for the public g…
Well, it is titled "on becoming a great scientist," not "on playing the academic system for adequate remuneration and a tenure track position." Great scientists are the same kinds of people and they do the same kinds of things, it's just now becoming a great scientist is not a path to feeding a family.
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