Knowledge and ability are valuable, but the fancy credentialed gift box it can come in is a laurel I’d rather not have the option to rest on. To put it another way, on the internet, nobody knows if you are a dog. I don’t want to know if I’m a dog either.
An acquaintance of mine is a philosophy professor. I respect his education, but think that he has a problem in putting too much weight on the source of knowledge rather than the validity of it. He wants knowledge itself to come with an academic seal of approval. He ranks himself in an elite crowd. But he can’t think his way out of a paper bag. He can regurgitate specific philosophies, but can’t easily compare them or come up with original insights based on comparisons. To use developmental shorthand, he is not at the vision logic stage of cognitive development. It seems to me that his knowledge and training are valuable, but his credentials are a heavy woolen suit to have to wear. Especially in BKK weather. It doesn’t really suit him. His credentials are an embarrassment to him, because he thinks they are an adornment. I don’t trust myself to wear credentials. I prefer to go casual.
