The Mathematics of the Mind

What is a professor? The day’s first really good question comes from Hans Petter Langtangen. Naturally, he directs the query to himself and is obliging enough to supply the answer – and in no short measure. “A professor,” he says, “holds the highest possible level of formal scientific competence. It means that you have expert knowledge in a field of study, with a breadth and depth which, in the natural sciences and medicine, normally corresponds to three doctorates. You must also, over a 10-year period, show that you can be a driving force to discover something new and important that no one has known before, and get this new insight published in internationally recognised scientific fora. Such competence is a good starting point both for teaching at a university and for training the scientific researchers of tomorrow. It concerns me greatly that the role of the professor is changing radically. Previously a professor was measured in terms of independence. Today we are measured in terms of collaboration. To use a football metaphor, you could say that universities used to hire mostly centre-forwards, which results in a lot of prima donnas – and the same problems they have at Real Madrid. The club may have the best players, but they don’t always have the best football team. What we need are players with different qualities, so apart from me there cannot be too many prima donnas if we are going to be productive.”