tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post6218622520698326226..comments2024-03-11T13:47:03.621-05:00Comments on Physics and Physicists: Would You Hire Peter Higgs Today?ZapperZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861398273820851809noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-3783602491474373802013-12-19T08:28:56.621-06:002013-12-19T08:28:56.621-06:00By all accounts, Newton was an odd, socially inept...By all accounts, Newton was an odd, socially inept man. He never married, and he died a virgin. He would probably be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome by a modern psychiatrist. Dirac was taciturn, also socially inept, and an oddball who went for long walks by himself on Sundays. I wonder if either of them could he hired for an academic position today?<br /><br />Is anyone ready to argue that academic physics is a model for social equality and fairness in hiring and promotion? I have my doubts. I believe that is what Prof. Higgs is hinting at in his comments.John Palkovichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08794874607538022298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-12447070748198941642013-12-14T03:35:23.568-06:002013-12-14T03:35:23.568-06:00please note that Einstein, Newton or Dirac all con...please note that Einstein, Newton or Dirac all contributed much more ..., and they had been productive throughout their careers. S.Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14981363200876054628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-17516422955064076812013-12-13T08:33:25.391-06:002013-12-13T08:33:25.391-06:00The thing is, his publication list is really weak....The thing is, his publication list is really weak. He more or less stop publishing right after his papers on the boson.<br /><br />The question is : what did he do during remaining years before he got emeritus ? Just stayed in his office playing Majong ? Then he should have been fired. But maybe he was a very good professor or advisor, and in that case it can be ok to keep him, though he was still having a position that could have been of better use for someone else.<br /><br />In the end, remember that if Higgs had been fired before his work, that would not have changed the history of physics (other than the name of the boson), since seven other people were publishing the same thing at the same time... So I don't think that Higgs is a good example of the problem of today "publish or perish" : to me, he should have perished.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14751736055298168498noreply@blogger.com