[abhayhegde]

I believe creating and developing science demands a higher than BS degree. While the degree itself might not confer any indication/promise of ability to do science, the place where it takes happens (universities/labs) offers a conducive environment to engage oneself in science. Be it funding, motivating peer group or networking opportunities, the exposure one gets from only a BS degree is astronomically less.

[barry-cotter]

> I believe creating and developing science demands a higher than BS degree.

Tell it to Freeman Dyson. In philosophy you could tell it to Derek Parfit. There are quite literally tens of thousands of people with higher degrees than them in their fields who achieved nothing comparable.

[ProjectArcturis]

And there are billions of people without higher degrees who have achieved nothing comparable.

[barry-cotter]

They weren’t trying to though. People generally get Physics and Philosophy doctorates hoping to contribute something to human knowledge. If you never had any ambition to do that you can’t have failed to come close to equaling Dyson or Parfit because you were never trying to.