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Comment by Empact | Hacker News Reader

Distinctions only hold esteem over time if they are worthy of it. The last two PhD’s that crossed my feed had dissertations on “The Architecture of Whiteness” https://x.com/garrett_rhianna/status/1889609612367700377

And “The Politics of Smell” https://x.com/drallylouks/status/1868782615324770561

If the PhD is losing its lustre, it’s because the Universities took the shine off.

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> If the PhD is losing its lustre, it’s because the Universities took the shine off

Also, circulating particularly weird dissertations for the express purpose of angering people has gotten a lot more rewarding

“Pay no attention to that canary, this coal mine is perfectly fine”

The canaries you posted are thriving

That Politics of Smell thesis is actually pretty great, I'm sorry you couldn't get past the title. Frankly, dragging Dr. Louks, who's already explained her thesis and how it was written after it blew up in certain online circles, tells me you didn't actually think that deeply on what she was trying to say. Probably means that the Architecture of Whiteness paper is worth a look, though, so thanks for the unintentional recommendation.

What did you learn from the Politics of Smell thesis?

That some people in this comments thread lack curiosity or the ability to engage with the world around them beyond the surface level.

I’m really confused at how you don’t see value in such theses

The fact that you don't understand something is not evidence that it's not valuable.

What didn't I understand? What of value is contained in those theses?

You're the one claiming no value - what about those theses makes you think they have no value?

What rebuttal to the works do you have?

Many seemingly useless theses turn out to be prescient and valuable decades or even centuries later. What evidence exists to suggest these won't have long term value?

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