Who do you think is smarter - a scientist or a doctor?

Question

Personally I think scientists are on the whole more intelligent. They're at the cutting edge of their fields, developing new techniques which doctors will in turn merely memorize and learn to apply.

From my experience doing a science degree and then a medical degree....science was definitely tougher. With science I had to work things out - I had to apply critical thinking. Some days it would be so hard writing up a lab report I'd almost tear my hair out.

In medical school, I just had to have a herculean memory and be good at giving presentations.

What do you guys think?
Who's do you think is more intelligent, doctor or scientist?

N.B. to "Mr Taco", here in the UK you do *not* have to do a science degree before you do a medical degree.

You can finish school and go straight on to medical school. You don't have to have a degree prior to going.

So the argument "science is easier because you did that first" doesn't work.

Answer 1

I tend to agree with you. The schooling is more rigorous as a scientist, and you go at least as long, or longer for advanced science degrees than a doc.

Altho, I'm sure there are those in the med field that are talented beyond just the standard skills one needs, which you pointed out is a gargantuan memory; I think by and large a scientist is 'smarter' than a doctor.

Answer 2

You are mistaken in one thing here. Lots of doctors are on the cutting edge of their fields and develop new techniques all the time. They are also "in the field" when they do their work, which takes a whole different kind of extreme intelligence to accomplish, compared to someone in a lab having all the time in the world to think out their problems and come up with solutions. If you think that only scientists develop new techniques, and not someone actually doing the job, then you are sadly mistaken.

In any case, the reason you found science so much more difficult was because you were just starting out. When you got to your medical degree, you had developed the skills you needed to succeed. It was not because the medical degree was so simple. In the end, it is simply ridiculous to suggest that doctors on the whole are not as intelligent as scientists on the whole. Anyone who has taken a science class should know that individuals are intelligent individually, not as a group. In other words, there are some scientists that are amongst the most intelligent people on earth, and there are some that are not so smart. The same holds true for doctors. I don't think you have a leg to stand on with the argument. Neither is more intelligent than the other.

Answer 3

Well a doctor may not be a scientist but a scientist may or may not be a doctor.
There are good and bad in every profession.
Doctors or scientists reside in the top 15% in terms of intelligence.
So from 85% to 100% Will categorize who is smarter.
Objectivity requires intelligence but intelligence does not guaranty objectivity.
Superior intelligence can be inextricably bound to insanity.

Answer 4

A doctor is smart and intelligent in finding a disease and stopping it.
Similarly, a scientist is smart and intelligent finding the reasons behind it and interpreting the data and giving further way to go on.

All depending on your view point, both have a great responsibility to the society.

Answer 5

They should both follow sir karl popper's advice and be more critical; especially of their shared darwinian training.

For instance,the doctor should realise the importance of diet,
especially for the majority who are yet to become ill;and of
the terrible legacy which is prevalent in u.s. for taking pills
and drugs.
The scientist shouls do somethimg more worthwhile, like studying how to save precious wildlife and
plantlife;or how governments and individuals can reduce
their population(s);and the social scientist should study how
real-life bullies and bullying is preserved by present day
darwinism.And so on.

Answer 6

"smarts" is relevent to the situation.

possibly your view of scientist vs. doctor isn't wholly accurate since you're basing your experiance with both soley on course work; you may have a change of heart once you put your education to practice?

i work with PhDs, MDs, PhDs who happen to be MDs, and people that have a whole bunch of other letters after their names, all respectable and reputable in their fields--and they've all had their dumb moments.

(note: you can think of medical doctors are "scientists" who specialize and perform one-time-only, non-controlled experiments)

Answer 7

Medicine is an art and a science, so doctors are practicing two disciplines.

I don't know which is smarter, but medicine is more difficult to do successfully than pure science.

Answer 8

Personally I would have to say it would most likely depend upon who you happened to need most at the time you needed them.

So that if you were in need of a scientist then you would want his expertise, you would go to him for his help.

But if you were in need of a doctor then his expertise would be important to you, you would seek him out.

Both are intelligent in their own ways, both are very much needed in our society.

So, I suppose you could say that I sit on the fence with this one, since I deem both to be important to all of us.

Answer 9

Obviously Scientist!
When u held degree, u become a doctor,
but to become a scientist u have to become practice, experiments, discoveries and many more. . .