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by JackMorgan
797 days ago
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I have a theory that highly intelligent conservatives are much more competitive than cooperative and so choose careers with access to the most money/power/respect. So you'll see a lot of conservative bankers, financiers, doctors, executives, lawyers, etc. This group has an outsized desire to see lower taxes on high earners, so they are big supporters of low taxes (aka small government). This theory explains why there are not a lot of conservative academics or scientists. Those careers are often low earning and more for the public good, so are more cooperative overall (even if they might be quite cutthroat in their own way). It also begs the question that perhaps studying something deeply enough to get a PhD leaves a person with a perspective that is less compatible with certain viewpoints. Also, lower taxes for a college professor probably would be a net negative, as their college would be getting less government funding. |
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I gave up working in the tech industry to pursue a PhD with the hopes of becoming a professor. Considering I research NLP, I could be making top dollar in industry, but have opted for the academia route. My family mostly don't understand and view the PhD as a diversion. Despite securing a postdoc at Cornell, they still ask me to reconsider working in industry so I can become rich and powerful, which they equate with fulfillment in life.