this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2024
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[–] canihasaccount@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Those are extremely few and far between, and they aren't evolutionary biologists. Behe, the most famous of them, doesn't have a PhD in biology, but a PhD in biochemistry. Those are vastly different fields, and understanding the evidence for evolution wouldn't have been relevant to Behe's PhD. MDs more commonly don't believe in evolution because MDs are essentially average folks who can memorize stuff really well. MDs don't receive training in research or how to conduct it, so they're pretty poor at understanding primary research most of the time.

Someone with a PhD from a reputable university (essentially, one that funds their PhD programs rather than making students pay, and one that doesn't incentivize publications directly with bonuses) will be an expert in their subject area. Behe would be able to tell you about the biochemistry of sickle cell anemia. Someone with a PhD speaking on an area outside of their expertise is perhaps more likely than the average person to be correct because they could have read and understood most primary sources even outside of their area, but I wouldn't say it's all that much more likely. Basically, PhDs speaking on the topic of their expertise are experts, but they're not experts in everything.

Personally, my PhD made me like the trope of someone who could tell you everything you want to know about some esoteric subject but wouldn't know how to make a meal.

Getting a PhD produces highly specialized knowledge, not general knowledge.