Dr. Peterson's Academic output

The catch-all forum for general topics and debates. Minimal moderation. Rated PG to PG-13.
Post Reply
drumdude
God
Posts: 7877
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:29 am

Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by drumdude »

https://humanities.BYU.edu/person/daniel-c-peterson/


Most of my professors in college had their accomplishments and C.V. on their personal website. Peterson's is surprisingly barren. What has Dr. Peterson accomplished with his doctorate, now that he's retiring? Teaching, apologetics, and keeping the paper mills in business with Interpreter's toilet paper artwork research?


Has anyone bothered to cite or review any of these:
Peterson, Daniel C. (2007), Muhammad, Prophet of God, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Walmart. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-8028-0754-0.
——; Ricks, Stephen D. (1998), Offenders for a Word: How Anti-Mormons Play Word Games to Attack the Latter-Day Saints, Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies, ISBN 0-934893-35-7 .
Peterson, Daniel C. (2002), Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, ISBN 978-0934893725.
Peterson, Daniel C. (1998), The Last Days: A Comprehensive Survey of Prophetic and Doctrinal Statements by Latter-Day Prophets and Apostles, Aspen Books, ISBN 978-1562360627.
Peterson, Daniel C. (1995), Abraham Divided: An LDS Perspective on the Middle East, Aspen Book, ISBN 978-1562362249.

Is this why he's putting so much effort on Witnesses? Something to finally hang his hat on?
User avatar
Bought Yahoo
High Councilman
Posts: 523
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 8:59 pm

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by Bought Yahoo »

I wish you and others on this site would get off of the kick of criticizing him. His book on Mohammed is significant enough and outstrips what most BYU Profs manage. My grandfather was a professor at BYU, a major powerhouse in academia and administration at North Dakota, U of Colo, and finally BYU and he didn't have this output.
User avatar
Kishkumen
God
Posts: 10376
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2020 2:37 pm
Location: Cassius University
Contact:

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by Kishkumen »

Although I know I will be repeating myself and boring everyone in doing so, I am going to register my disapproval of these kinds of personal posts about DCP's academic career. DCP has had an honorable career at BYU, and his record is appropriate for the kind of institution that BYU is. Different professors excel in different ways, and if they are lucky their strengths are a good match for their institution. DCP was a good match for BYU in his time there. I wish we could drop the attacks on his career.
"He disturbs the laws of his country, he forces himself upon women, and he puts men to death without trial.” ~Otanes on the monarch, Herodotus Histories 3.80.
Tator
Valiant A
Posts: 165
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2020 1:51 am
Location: Pacific Coast

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by Tator »

Yep, about the same level as "Krispy Kremes", time to let it go and get over it.
User avatar
Everybody Wang Chung
God
Posts: 3700
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2020 1:52 am

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by Everybody Wang Chung »

I remember when DCP first published "Muhammad, Prophet of God" and the author of the foreword, Islamic scholar Khaleel Mohammad felt he was tricked and that the book was deceiving. Apparently, he had only read a blueprint submitted to him by DCP.

If I recall correctly, the book was roundly criticized for making many non-scholarly and most likely deliberate mistakes and errors.

If there is a silver lining to DCP's academic career, it's that he still has 6 weeks to finish those two books he promised BYU. I'm rooting for you DCP!!
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."

Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
drumdude
God
Posts: 7877
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:29 am

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by drumdude »

I just find it ironic that Hamblin and Peterson fault Metcalfe (for example) for his lack of a college education, while Metcalfe's output dwarfs that of theirs.


Peterson could have easily written an obscure biography of Muhammad and been a lecturer without a doctorate. And Metcalfe has shown you can be a prolific academic without a degree. I get the distinct impression Peterson wanted all of the prestige a doctorate degree brings, with none of the work. BYU even expected more of him than he was able to produce, with those two books.
User avatar
Doctor Steuss
God
Posts: 2528
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2020 8:48 pm

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by Doctor Steuss »

Everybody Wang Chung wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 4:18 pm
I remember when DCP first published "Muhammad, Prophet of God" and the author of the foreword, Islamic scholar Khaleel Mohammad felt he was tricked and that the book was deceiving. Apparently, he had only read a blueprint submitted to him by DCP.
From what I recall, Prof. Mohammad went out of his way to respond directly to one such review's accusation to dispel this rumor, and stand by the foreword he had written.

My only qualm with this particular book by Dr. Peterson is he seemed to have lost his voice somewhat. I assume because of editor limits on length, maybe. It wasn't a bad book, and I found it to be a great little introductory overview of Muhammad, and the world he arose from -- I just didn't find Dr. Peterson's writing voice quite so engaging and enjoyable as I found Abraham Divided, or Offenders for a Word (or much of his editorial notes from FARMS).

As I said above, I think this was likely more due to editorial constraints than a failing on Dr. Peterson's part.
User avatar
Kishkumen
God
Posts: 10376
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2020 2:37 pm
Location: Cassius University
Contact:

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by Kishkumen »

drumdude wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 4:46 pm
I just find it ironic that Hamblin and Peterson fault Metcalfe (for example) for his lack of a college education, while Metcalfe's output dwarfs that of theirs.

Peterson could have easily written an obscure biography of Muhammad and been a lecturer without a doctorate. And Metcalfe has shown you can be a prolific academic without a degree. I get the distinct impression Peterson wanted all of the prestige a doctorate degree brings, with none of the work. BYU even expected more of him than he was able to produce, with those two books.
There are plenty of interesting problems like that in the world of scholarship and academics. One of the most prolific scholars on Cicero was kicked out of his job when child pornography was discovered on his computer. Higgs, the man who theorized the Higgs boson particle, published very little in his career, but WOW what an impact!

I don't like the fact that the FARMS crew went after Metcalfe and Vogel as they did, but I take a great deal of comfort in the fact that Metcalfe and Vogel have often been a lot classier in their treatment of FARMS people than the FARMS people have been in their treatment of Metcalfe and Vogel. That is victory enough, I think.
"He disturbs the laws of his country, he forces himself upon women, and he puts men to death without trial.” ~Otanes on the monarch, Herodotus Histories 3.80.
User avatar
Sledge
Area Authority
Posts: 605
Joined: Tue May 04, 2021 10:30 pm
Location: The Athenaeum
Contact:

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by Sledge »

What is the point of this?
drumdude wrote:
Tue May 18, 2021 3:27 pm
https://humanities.BYU.edu/person/daniel-c-peterson/


Most of my professors in college had their accomplishments and C.V. on their personal website. Peterson's is surprisingly barren. What has Dr. Peterson accomplished with his doctorate, now that he's retiring? Teaching, apologetics, and keeping the paper mills in business with Interpreter's toilet paper artwork research?


Has anyone bothered to cite or review any of these:
Peterson, Daniel C. (2007), Muhammad, Prophet of God, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Walmart. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-8028-0754-0.
——; Ricks, Stephen D. (1998), Offenders for a Word: How Anti-Mormons Play Word Games to Attack the Latter-Day Saints, Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies, ISBN 0-934893-35-7 .
Peterson, Daniel C. (2002), Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, ISBN 978-0934893725.
Peterson, Daniel C. (1998), The Last Days: A Comprehensive Survey of Prophetic and Doctrinal Statements by Latter-Day Prophets and Apostles, Aspen Books, ISBN 978-1562360627.
Peterson, Daniel C. (1995), Abraham Divided: An LDS Perspective on the Middle East, Aspen Book, ISBN 978-1562362249.

Is this why he's putting so much effort on Witnesses? Something to finally hang his hat on?
drumdude
God
Posts: 7877
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:29 am

Re: Dr. Peterson's Academic output

Post by drumdude »

Did we ever give you enough examples of DCP's plagiarism? What's one or two between friends, though, right?
Post Reply