Orson Scott Card to overthrow US gov't over gay marriage

[Alyrium Denryle]

I am in grad school because I want to specialize in a particular field and become a full tenured professor after 8 years of grad work, 6 years of post-doc and 7 or so years as an untenured professor. It aint just for kicks. It is because I have a goal in mind. Dipshit

Right, because a BS by itself means you're not a scientist, you're a scientist's assistant and apprentice.

Alright. So you are more a splitter than me. That is fair. I wont quibble with you over that. I use an operational definition of a scientist, and that is someone who does the work.

[Illuminatus Primus]

I am in grad school because I want to specialize in a particular field and become a full tenured professor after 8 years of grad work, 6 years of post-doc and 7 or so years as an untenured professor. It aint just for kicks. It is because I have a goal in mind. Dipshit

Right, because a BS by itself means you're not a scientist, you're a scientist's assistant and apprentice.

Alright. So you are more a splitter than me. That is fair. I wont quibble with you over that. I use an operational definition of a scientist, and that is someone who does the work.

Look, the fact is, when you preface statements with "I am this", people will think you're trying to intimidate them with titles, credentials, and office placards instead of reason.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Right, because a BS by itself means you're not a scientist, you're a scientist's assistant and apprentice.

Alright. So you are more a splitter than me. That is fair. I wont quibble with you over that. I use an operational definition of a scientist, and that is someone who does the work.

Look, the fact is, when you preface statements with "I am this", people will think you're trying to intimidate them with titles, credentials, and office placards instead of reason.

Oh, I cant bully for shit... I mention it only because I cant cite coursework or observation very well. When I made reference to my being a working behavioral biologist it was not an attempt at intimidation (besides, Mike does not respond to that well anyway, even if I were to try. He is too confident and frankly obstinate. Yes Mike, they are endearing qualities). It is the equivalent, given my misunderstanding of what you folks were saying of

"Look, what do you want me to conclude? When I see the same behavior across taxa, including humans, I cannot be intellectually honest within my profession and conclude that the causes are different"

that is all that I intended to say. But when I am speaking in any context but dry technical discussion (unless someone knows me well) my foot has a tendency to go so far into my mouth that I twist around a bit, dislocate a few things and end up being able to sit on that same foot.

[Kanastrous]

I am in grad school because I want to specialize in a particular field and become a full tenured professor after 8 years of grad work, 6 years of post-doc and 7 or so years as an untenured professor. It aint just for kicks. It is because I have a goal in mind. Dipshit

Right, because a BS by itself means you're not a scientist, you're a scientist's assistant and apprentice.

Alright. So you are more a splitter than me. That is fair. I wont quibble with you over that. I use an operational definition of a scientist, and that is someone who does the work.

Well...I was a research assistant for Dr. J Foulds at NIH/NIADDK years ago, and did a lot of the work, but I don't think that made me a scientist...

[Alyrium Denryle]

Right, because a BS by itself means you're not a scientist, you're a scientist's assistant and apprentice.

Alright. So you are more a splitter than me. That is fair. I wont quibble with you over that. I use an operational definition of a scientist, and that is someone who does the work.

Well...I was a research assistant for Dr. J Foulds at NIH/NIADDK years ago, and did a lot of the work, but I don't think that made me a scientist...

Fair enough. I would have, at the time you were doing the work. Frankly it is also a personal identification issue. Maybe this is a personal bias. Most of my friends and associates are scientists. I spend most of my day doing science, either data collection, analysis, reading papers etc. Most people's primary identification is as a member of a given nation, ethnic group or sex. Mine is as a scientist. Perhaps this is a mistake on my part?

I just find that the hairsplitting is unnecessary. For example. The Ph.D student I worked under for two years would not be a scientist by IPs definition, because he has yet to publish his first paper. His research is long-term, and it can take two years just to get enough data to analyze, let alone write the paper.

On the same token, my friend Russell is, even though he is un-degreed because he managed to publish a paper having done disgustingly well in a class project using museum specimens.

I find the definition to be a tad more fluid than IP does, because I consider them both to be working biologists. *shrug*

I would prefer not to quibble regarding those definitional issues. I could use any number of qualifiers when referring to myself if it makes the lot of you more comfortable. Pupating biologist perhaps? I am not sure if I want to draw a connection between me and this....



Though I must confess that my penchant for super villainy does lend itself toward drawing comparisons between myself and a parasitic wasp.