Do You Believe That People With PhD's Should Be Addressed As 'Doctor' ?

Question

I don't . Never have and never will . I think it's a false sense of entitlement . I will of course address a medical doctor as 'doctor' but no one else . Simply because some people have PhD's does not mean they should be elevated or given any more respect than their fellow man .

I think about this from time to time and just saw someone refer to Ron Paul as 'Dr. Ron Paul' . Pffft . Means nothing . What does mean something is a man's standards and beliefs . His morals and convictions regardless of academic achievement within a university .
I find that teachers abuse this or expect this more often than others who have achieved a PhD .
This is nothing more than elitism , imo .

BTW , My screen-name is a combination of a couple of jokes and reality . I'd never expect or ask anyone to refer to me as 'Doctor' .

Where Do You Draw The Line ?

Delphi - I'm gonna help you more than anyone ever has . What do you propose we call mechanics who have studies so hard ? 'Mechanic Bob' ?
How about factory workers who have worked so hard ? 'Factory Fred' ?
Policemen ? Cop Charlie?
Firefighters ? 'Firefighter Frank' ?

Answer 1

Yea, piled high and deep

Answer 2

Unless a person works in an academic setting, it's unlikely that most people would even be aware they had a PhD. Or even if they were were aware, in other, more casual settings, people call each other by their first names rather than Dr or Mr/Ms Smith. Your point about being deserving of the title is well taken but frankly (I believe) most people just don't care enough to use use the title to acknowledge the distinction.

Answer 3

Yes, for several reasons. You have a doctor of philosophy degree and so you are, in literal fact, a 'doctor'. A medical doctor is simply an 'MD' or Medical Doctor. His academic specialty is medicine while yours is some branch of 'philosophy'. Both are equally entitled to the title 'doctor'.

Secondly, a little history. Many years ago, there was no such thing as a 'medical doctor' even though there were those who practiced and studies medicine. Even surgeons a near as 150 years ago were not required to have a degree in medicine although one who did have that academic background was given far more respect. As a result, they were called 'surgeon', not doctor. Then the medical community decided that they needed to formalize their training and standards and adopted the academic title 'doctor' for those who graduated from their program of study. So, in effect, medical doctors are very late comers to the 'doctor' title.

But I see your point. Your lawyer is a 'doctor', but you don't hear folks calling their lawyer 'Dr. Williams'. (Lawyers have a JD degree or 'Juris Doctor' and this is equivilant to a PhD.)

A little trivia, the red and white stripped barber pole is, in fact, an anachronistic advertisement that both dentistry and medical care was provided within the premises BY the barber.

Answer 4

My sister is a professor emeritus at a very good university. While people should never be expected to use a title, she has nonetheless earned the right to be called doctor in every bit the same way as a respected neuro-surgeon

Within a teaching position such a sense of distance and respect between the teacher and the student is even more important.

Why do you believe that only medical doctors rate a title?

Answer 5

Well, I could be mistaken, but doctors started getting called doctors because they were a large group of people in the medical profession who had a large amount of contact with the public who all had PhDs, thus the term 'medical doctor' was quickly shortened to just 'doctor.' Again, I haven't researched this, just what I heard.
PhDs give the term 'doctor.' It's a title that is supposed to achieve respect, and rightfully so, seeing as they went above and beyond in their particular field.
The point is it really doesn't matter. Most people with PhDs do not care if you call them Mr/Ms/Mrs or Dr Whatever. If they do care, then yeah, they might be a little stuck up elitist, but it's not that big of a deal.

Answer 6

I think it is a non issue. But since you're making an issue out of it, a PhD does take as long as a doctor's degree about 7 to 8 years and that doesn't include the bachelor's degree or master's degree before it. And, the term 'Doctor' also means expert or authority on a subject. It also comes from Latin word, docēre as in doctor, and to teach as in teacher. I don't have a problem with calling someone with a doctorate in any subject, a doctor. It's an acknowledgement of the depth of study that person has devoted his life to a particular subject. But at the same time, I don't really think it is used too much anymore except in professional settings.
How is it elitism if they earned that right by working for their doctorate. Teachers don't abuse it. Why shouldn't they have the right to use the term when they are in the very institution that they earned it in the first place: the University. After 13 to 15 of intensive study and devotion to a subject matter that they studied, you think your measley opinions should be construed as facts? The fact that the root of the word means "to teach" gives them every right to use the word in that institution. It is their profession. It's their choice. And, in many countries that consider education a very important thing in their democratic culture, they still respect teachers and professors. I think the fact that you discredit their work in one fell swoop and with complete disrespect is nothing but elitism and rather ignorant on your part. Congrats on you contribution to the dumbing down of America through the contempt of education and our educators. I'm sure Rush would be proud of you.

Answer 7

I guess Earnest I do not have a problem with it. Lawyers, engineers, doctors of medicine all can have various labels added to their name plates. Maybe its from formerly being in an industry politics/public administration and working at a university for awhile I got used to the tag line for PhD. I never used it like they were above me though since I learned from being raised by grandparents (who only graduated from grade school) that they sometimes had a lot more insight and intelligence than family members with college degrees or with professors in college with multiple degrees. I base my judgment of a person's intelligence not on the degree they hold but in their ability to define the issue at hand and show their grasp of both sides of an argument.

Answer 8

I tend to agree.

Bill Clinton was a career student, Oxford trained Rhodes Scholar. You would think that he would eventually get around to a doctorate. I wonder why he didn't make it.

That said: Woodrow Wilson was the only president we ever had to hold a doctorate. He complained to the European victors of WWI that they should not divide up the middle east using a map and a crayon with no consideration for religion and culture. He said it would cause a war that the US would have to participate in and his responsibility to the American people required him to try and prevent that. They threw him out.
He worked so hard to create a league of nations, it killed him.

I would call him doctor. Wouldn't you?

Would you refer to Kevorkian as doctor?

Answer 9

It is proper to address someone who got a PhD as doctor.

I may not like Ron Paul but if he as an accredited PhD he has earn to be called doctor.

Now most of those with PhDs other than medical doctors don't like that title much they rather call them by their first name.

Those how demand to be called doctor have an ego problem.

Answer 10

Doctor is from the Latin doctor, meaning to teach. Up until a couple of centuries ago it was used solely to refer to academics, not physicians. It wasn't until the mid 18th century that physicians started to go by doctor as medical science progressed beyond demonic possession and stomach gnomes.

I think either one using it outside of a professional setting is somewhat pompous. It seems like MDs feel more "entitlement" to that term anyway.

Answer 11

IN professional life yes, it is a reflection of their knowledge and tenure. Persons with a PhD are on the front line of their field and have theorized and mastered an idea and continue to develop it. With the amount of research, energy and resource it take to firstly obtain a PhD and secondly to maintain it, the title of doctor, on a professional front is a show of respect, not entitlement.

ON a personal level the use of Doctor is just arrogant, outside the professional context there is absolutely no reason one should be referred to by their professional job title.