Dr. Peterson's Academic output

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

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

He got one, but literally didn’t read it, nor did he acknowledge it. He’s a troll.

- Doc

[Sledge]

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

No one gave me a single one, which is what I expected.

But why does DCP matter so much to you?

[Sledge]

He got one, but literally didn’t read it, nor did he acknowledge it. He’s a troll.

- Doc

This is wrong, as anyone who has seen the other thread can attest. The example given was not plagiarism. It was reviewed by an attorney.

So why does DCP turn you on so much?

[drumdude]

Is he a family member or something, Sledge?

[pistolero]

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.

I hear a lot about vanity and prestige related to motivations as to why one would want to do a PhD. The reality is that for some people, they just want to continue studying something that particularly interests them. It's not like it will shower you with large amounts of cash, let me tell you. Apart from the writing-up part, my PhD was one of the most enjoyable, fun, rewarding times I can recall in my life.

I don't think a PhD gives you any particular right to be more credible. Experience counts for a heck of a lot too. There are plenty of shabby people with a PhD, plenty of scientific misconduct. The academic world has peer review to at least provide a certain check/balance mechanism, it isn't perfect, but it's what we've got. A qualification on paper, is no substitute for an education, and one can very easily be self educated. Metcalfe and Vogel submit to the same process. It's an even field. People are free to make evidence based contributions. That's the game. I did once hear John Dehlin interview Vogel and I was impressed by his story. It's an inspiration.

Judging academic usefulness by productivity statistics is problematic in so many ways. But that's another story.

DCP is a big beast of Mormonism, particularly apologetics. He may not have the productivity statistics to match, but he clearly is one of the biggest if not biggest beast out there. That's why we like talking about him so much, he's in the cross hairs. But I feel that people's arguments should be about what he says and writes, not about what is written down on a certificate hanging on his wall.

[kairos]

And yes you do have a Phd, but Dr. Daniel C Peterson you are no Karen Armstrong- so there!

[The Stig]

Meh. As has been noted on this board before, BYU has historically been first, and foremost, a teaching institution. As such, its tenure requirements have also historically been less rigorous than more researched focused institutions.* Also, tenure requirements (including publishing) tend to vary by academic department. Dr. Peterson has a PhD and not only received tenure at BYU, but also a full professor promotion. Full stop. Whether a group of outsiders think he should have published more is irrelevant.


*This is a major reason, in addition to the church's stand on gay marriage, that BYU was not seriously considered (despite rumors) for inclusion in the now-PAC12 when the conference was expanding a number of years ago. It is rumored that Stanford was especially opposed to that idea given BYU's reputation for being primarily a teaching institution.

[Kishkumen]

Meh. As has been noted on this board before, BYU has historically been first, and foremost, a teaching institution. As such, its tenure requirements have also historically been less rigorous than more researched focused institutions.* Also, tenure requirements (including publishing) tend to vary by academic department. Dr. Peterson has a PhD and not only received tenure at BYU, but also a full professor promotion. Full stop. Whether a group of outsiders thing he should have published more is irrelevant.


*This is a major reason, in addition to the church's stand on gay marriage, that BYU was not seriously considered (despite rumors) for inclusion in the now-PAC12 when the conference was expanding a number of years ago. It is rumored that Stanford was especially opposed to that idea given BYU's reputation for being primarily a teaching institution.

Two thumbs up!

[Sledge]

Well this was a stupid thread. Probably the stupidest ever. Congratulations drumdrum.

[malkie]

Well this was a stupid thread. Probably the stupidest ever. Congratulations drumdrum.

If you hang around for a while, you'll likely see something similar in a few months or years.

(disclosure: I thoughtlessly and unwisely contributed to one myself - probably about 15-18 months ago)