Chapter One - Time's Toll

Whatever its possessors may say to the contrary, the North American doctor of philosophy degree is not so much about scholarly attainment as it is about power: sheer, naked, inexorable economic and social power. Originally intended as the certificate attesting specialized preparation for research in the major scholarly disciplines, it has proliferated in an unchecked fashion throughout our intellectual world, becoming the mandatory qualification for teaching in higher education, employment in research, and advisory work in business and government. Without the Ph.D. degree, one cannot now hope to be permanently retained as an instructor at most of the thousands of institutions of higher learning on this continent, even in the teaching of junior undergraduates. Without the Ph.D. degree, one cannot now hope to become involved with formal research in most fields at any level higher than that of technician or research assistant.