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Intellectual Freedom (media.piefed.zip)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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Image: “The Evolution of Intellectual Freedom” — a comic strip by Jorge Cham (PHD Comics, © 2011) A horizontal timeline with an upward-pointing Y-axis (implying increasing freedom) and a rightward X-axis (implying career progression). Six stages of academic life are illustrated with cartoon figures and speech bubbles, reading left to right: 1. Before Grad School — An enthusiastic young person in a green t-shirt raises one finger triumphantly, declaring: “I’m going to research whatever I want!” 2. Grad Student — A hunched figure sits stressed at a computer, mumbling: “I’m going to research whatever my professor wants!” 3. Assistant Professor — A harried woman in a purple dress rushes past clutching papers, saying: “I’m going to research whatever my tenure committee wants!” 4. Tenured Professor — An older bearded man relaxes comfortably in a large armchair, announcing: “I’m going to research whatever my grant committee wants!” 5. Emeritus Professor — A very elderly hunched figure with a walking stick raises a finger hopefully, beginning: “I’m going to research whatever I-” 6. A gravestone — Inscribed with “RIP” and the epitaph: “Research In Peace” — cutting off the Emeritus Professor mid-sentence. The comic’s dark punchline: intellectual freedom never actually arrives.
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[–] 3 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

I don’t have a tenure committee and nobody cares what I research as long as I publish and get grants. Ymmv. Edit: also, the comic skips postdoc, which is probably the most care free career stage (you can pretty much do whatever the fuck you want as long as you manage to impress your supervisor every now and then with original stuff and follow through to turn them into papers).

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    also, the comic skips postdoc, which is probably the most care free career stage

    As someone taking a course by a postdoc, yes. Half the lectures so far where cancelled because he prefers research and conferences over the university mandated minimal amount of teaching.

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