Betteridge's law holds true here: No, he is not Dr. Stallman. It is atypical to be called by the honourific of any honourary degree you receive. Source:...
It is atypical to be called by the honourific of any honourary degree you receive.
An honorary degree is a great honor, but it is an honor. It is not exactly a degree.
—-#1) Honorary-degree recipients may be addressed as Dr. (Name) orally during the ceremony or in correspondence from by the granting university as a courtesy.
—-#2) But recipients are not addressed orally or in writing as Dr. (Name) by other academic institutions – and not correctly addressed as Dr. (Name) in their professional/personal life. They continue to be addressed orally and in writing with the form of address to which they entitled prior to receiving the honor. E.g., Mr./Ms./Mrs.
Addressing An Honorary Degree Recipient
Honorary degree recipients are properly addressed as “doctor” in correspondence from the university that awarded the honorary degree and in conversation on that campus. But honorary degree recipients should not refer to themselves as “doctor”, nor should they use the title on business cards or in correspondence. However, the recipient is entitled to use the appropriate honorary abbreviation behind his or her name, for example, [full name], Litt.D. On a resume or in a biographical sketch, they may indicate an honorary degree by writing out the degree followed by the words “honoris causa” to signify that the degree is honorary, not earned.
When addressing a person who has received an honorary degree from another university, it is not correct to use the term “doctor” nor should the title be used in correspondence, biographical sketches, introductions, or on place cards.
Saying that "Nobody told me I shouldn't be calling myself Dr. Stallman" is the same defense as "I didn't know that the speed limit was 50", ie it is not in any way a defense of the practice.
He is not Dr. Stallman and should in all ways stop using the title.
I've always taken 'honorary doctorate' as a synonym for 'this person deserves a doctorate from our institution, even if they didn't attend.' My aunt has a doctorate in education. If she didn't,...
But honorary degree recipients should not refer to themselves as “doctor”, nor should they use the title on business cards or in correspondence.
I've always taken 'honorary doctorate' as a synonym for 'this person deserves a doctorate from our institution, even if they didn't attend.'
My aunt has a doctorate in education. If she didn't, but accomplished just as much outside the classroom, would she not be deserving?
So yea, I'll call an honorary doctor a doctor. If people don't like it, maybe they'll stop handing them out.
You're only looking at it from a US-centric perspective. Other countries have other customs. Ferdinand Porsche, for example, would always be adressed as Dr. Ing. h. c. Porsche in Germany. I'd also...
You're only looking at it from a US-centric perspective. Other countries have other customs. Ferdinand Porsche, for example, would always be adressed as Dr. Ing. h. c. Porsche in Germany. I'd also be wary of your first source, that's a marketing company trying to sell a book.
I'm not based in the US, and rarely look at things through a US-centric perspective. I picked these two because they were convenient, but I found an article that indicates that it's also...
I'm not based in the US, and rarely look at things through a US-centric perspective. I picked these two because they were convenient, but I found an article that indicates that it's also discouraged at Oxford and Brighton source and those are pretty non-american. UBC directly discourages it; I couldn't conveniently (read: in less than 20 seconds) find other sources for canadian universities with which I have been affiliated, but I know that the University of Guelph discouraged it at least as recently as 2006 (at which point I was worked at the UofG, and it came up at work.
I could not easily find information on any non-British Universities outside of North America, but honestly, I think I'd just love to see any place that University puts out information that says "Please do call yourself Dr. after receiving an honourary degree". I can't find a single instance of it anywhere, except that they do give instructions on how to specify that you have obtained an honourary doctorate.
I guess I should have said anglo-american university system, both Canada and Great Britain fall into that category. As per usual, we germans have laws about such stuff, e.g. the bavarian law about...
I guess I should have said anglo-american university system, both Canada and Great Britain fall into that category. As per usual, we germans have laws about such stuff, e.g. the bavarian law about universities BayHSchG §67
1Die von deutschen staatlichen oder staatlich anerkannten Hochschulen verliehenen akademischen Grade dürfen nur gemäß der Verleihungsurkunde oder in der sonst festgelegten Form geführt werden; [...] 2Entsprechendes gilt für ehrenhalber verliehene akademische Grade.
Translation: The academic degrees awarded by German state or state-recognized universities may only be used in accordance with the award certificate or in the otherwise specified form;[...] 2The same applies to honorary academic degrees.
There's a handy pdf if you ever need to adress heads of state, the pope or basically anyone with any kind of title published by the german federal government which lists honorary degrees with actual degrees.
Here's another guide by the Ludwig Maximilian university of munich which treats honorary degrees almost the same as regular ones, except when someone has multiple titles you're allowed to shorten the adress to the highest degree unless that one is honorary, then it's the highest actual degree.
Honorary degrees can by law only be granted in the same field(s) the university grants regular degrees in and it is illegal to pay for them or make them dependant on a donation.
Well, I didn't expect to look up and learn this much about academic degrees tonight or... ever. To get back to the article's topic, according to german law Stallman has the right to call himself Doctor h.c. but he always has to add the h.c. to distinguish his grade from a regular one.
To be clear - I have read this as agreement with my point, is that as intended? Specifically: and Both indicate to me that in Germany it would actually be illegal for him to go by "Dr. Stallman"...
To be clear - I have read this as agreement with my point, is that as intended?
Specifically:
you're allowed to shorten the adress to the highest degree unless that one is honorary, then it's the highest actual degree.
and
according to german law Stallman has the right to call himself Doctor h.c. but he always has to add the h.c. to distinguish his grade from a regular one.
Both indicate to me that in Germany it would actually be illegal for him to go by "Dr. Stallman" unless he adds the "h.c"
No, not quite. To the first point, you would always list all degrees including honorary unless there's so many that it would become burdensome. Angela Merkel has a doctorate in chemistry and ~15...
No, not quite. To the first point, you would always list all degrees including honorary unless there's so many that it would become burdensome. Angela Merkel has a doctorate in chemistry and ~15 honorary doctorates, you wouldn't mention them all. In this case it's Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Angela Merkel. If she was also a professor at university, you'd strip all that and call her Professor Merkel. It's a bit confusing and I'm probably not explaining it very well. In essence, if there's a multitude of degrees to list, the honorary ones are the first to get taken off the list if there's an equal or higher real degree.
To your second point, yes, it is illegal to omit the h.c., but the point I was objecting to is that the use of honorary degrees is discouraged or even forbidden, which seems to be the norm in the anglosphere.
That seems like a very reasonable system. In academic circles that I am a part of, or at least adjacent to, you can certainly list honourary degrees - it is not forbidden - though you must specify...
That seems like a very reasonable system.
In academic circles that I am a part of, or at least adjacent to, you can certainly list honourary degrees - it is not forbidden - though you must specify the h.c. as well. However, people still don't go by "Doctor" unless they have been conferred a doctorate, though at least one person was jovially referred to with some frequency as "Honourary Doctor [Name]".
Well, an adage is not a law, and neither are customs, conventions, etc. I find your comment a bit too categorical for something that is clearly fluid and reliant on less codified social...
Well, an adage is not a law, and neither are customs, conventions, etc.
I find your comment a bit too categorical for something that is clearly fluid and reliant on less codified social structures.
Technically nothing prevents me from calling myself Dr. Mr. Big. You may think that is underserved (and in my case it most certainly is), but AFAIK, with the exception of shame and similar personal considerations, nothing really prevents me from doing so.
Given the lifelong advocacy and importance of Mr. Stallman to the causes he's invested in, this seems perfectly reasonable to me:
The reason that is beyond personal is so that people who know little or nothing of my career may decide, based on the title of "Doctor", to pay a little attention to that work and that cause, which is the free software movement. That may help us defeat the totalitarian control that today's digital technology is designed to impose.
I may very well disagree, but I cannot say it is unreasonable.
I'm not sure that your point - that you may also call yourself Dr. Mr. Big - is in any way supportive of Stallman calling himself Dr. Stallman. Indeed, I agree - you may call yourself Dr. Mr. Big...
I'm not sure that your point - that you may also call yourself Dr. Mr. Big - is in any way supportive of Stallman calling himself Dr. Stallman. Indeed, I agree - you may call yourself Dr. Mr. Big if you so desire. Doing so is something that you should not do, and Stallman should not do. Your appeal to it being legal is similarly not particularly worthwhile; legality is certainly not the only thing - or arguably the primary thing - to think about when considering whether you should or shouldn't do something.
I'd like to point out, this is not for a lack of ability. It was because of being committed to free software and be willing to eschew material wealth to do so. Read up on the hacker culture which...
People are usually rewarded for their efforts with money. Some, like Dr. Stallman are primarily rewarded with prestige.
I'd like to point out, this is not for a lack of ability. It was because of being committed to free software and be willing to eschew material wealth to do so.
Read up on the hacker culture which Stallman and his peers spawned. It's basically the who's who of the founders of modern computing.
Betteridge's law holds true here: No, he is not Dr. Stallman.
It is atypical to be called by the honourific of any honourary degree you receive.
Source: https://www.formsofaddress.info/degree_honorary/
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150330034606/http://honorarydegrees.wvu.edu/history
Saying that "Nobody told me I shouldn't be calling myself Dr. Stallman" is the same defense as "I didn't know that the speed limit was 50", ie it is not in any way a defense of the practice.
He is not Dr. Stallman and should in all ways stop using the title.
I've always taken 'honorary doctorate' as a synonym for 'this person deserves a doctorate from our institution, even if they didn't attend.'
My aunt has a doctorate in education. If she didn't, but accomplished just as much outside the classroom, would she not be deserving?
So yea, I'll call an honorary doctor a doctor. If people don't like it, maybe they'll stop handing them out.
You're only looking at it from a US-centric perspective. Other countries have other customs. Ferdinand Porsche, for example, would always be adressed as Dr. Ing. h. c. Porsche in Germany. I'd also be wary of your first source, that's a marketing company trying to sell a book.
I'm not based in the US, and rarely look at things through a US-centric perspective. I picked these two because they were convenient, but I found an article that indicates that it's also discouraged at Oxford and Brighton source and those are pretty non-american. UBC directly discourages it; I couldn't conveniently (read: in less than 20 seconds) find other sources for canadian universities with which I have been affiliated, but I know that the University of Guelph discouraged it at least as recently as 2006 (at which point I was worked at the UofG, and it came up at work.
I could not easily find information on any non-British Universities outside of North America, but honestly, I think I'd just love to see any place that University puts out information that says "Please do call yourself Dr. after receiving an honourary degree". I can't find a single instance of it anywhere, except that they do give instructions on how to specify that you have obtained an honourary doctorate.
I guess I should have said anglo-american university system, both Canada and Great Britain fall into that category. As per usual, we germans have laws about such stuff, e.g. the bavarian law about universities BayHSchG §67
Translation: The academic degrees awarded by German state or state-recognized universities may only be used in accordance with the award certificate or in the otherwise specified form;[...] 2The same applies to honorary academic degrees.
There's a handy pdf if you ever need to adress heads of state, the pope or basically anyone with any kind of title published by the german federal government which lists honorary degrees with actual degrees.
Here's another guide by the Ludwig Maximilian university of munich which treats honorary degrees almost the same as regular ones, except when someone has multiple titles you're allowed to shorten the adress to the highest degree unless that one is honorary, then it's the highest actual degree.
Honorary degrees can by law only be granted in the same field(s) the university grants regular degrees in and it is illegal to pay for them or make them dependant on a donation.
Well, I didn't expect to look up and learn this much about academic degrees tonight or... ever. To get back to the article's topic, according to german law Stallman has the right to call himself Doctor h.c. but he always has to add the h.c. to distinguish his grade from a regular one.
To be clear - I have read this as agreement with my point, is that as intended?
Specifically:
and
Both indicate to me that in Germany it would actually be illegal for him to go by "Dr. Stallman" unless he adds the "h.c"
No, not quite. To the first point, you would always list all degrees including honorary unless there's so many that it would become burdensome. Angela Merkel has a doctorate in chemistry and ~15 honorary doctorates, you wouldn't mention them all. In this case it's Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Angela Merkel. If she was also a professor at university, you'd strip all that and call her Professor Merkel. It's a bit confusing and I'm probably not explaining it very well. In essence, if there's a multitude of degrees to list, the honorary ones are the first to get taken off the list if there's an equal or higher real degree.
To your second point, yes, it is illegal to omit the h.c., but the point I was objecting to is that the use of honorary degrees is discouraged or even forbidden, which seems to be the norm in the anglosphere.
That seems like a very reasonable system.
In academic circles that I am a part of, or at least adjacent to, you can certainly list honourary degrees - it is not forbidden - though you must specify the h.c. as well. However, people still don't go by "Doctor" unless they have been conferred a doctorate, though at least one person was jovially referred to with some frequency as "Honourary Doctor [Name]".
Well, an adage is not a law, and neither are customs, conventions, etc.
I find your comment a bit too categorical for something that is clearly fluid and reliant on less codified social structures.
Technically nothing prevents me from calling myself Dr. Mr. Big. You may think that is underserved (and in my case it most certainly is), but AFAIK, with the exception of shame and similar personal considerations, nothing really prevents me from doing so.
Given the lifelong advocacy and importance of Mr. Stallman to the causes he's invested in, this seems perfectly reasonable to me:
I may very well disagree, but I cannot say it is unreasonable.
I'm not sure that your point - that you may also call yourself Dr. Mr. Big - is in any way supportive of Stallman calling himself Dr. Stallman. Indeed, I agree - you may call yourself Dr. Mr. Big if you so desire. Doing so is something that you should not do, and Stallman should not do. Your appeal to it being legal is similarly not particularly worthwhile; legality is certainly not the only thing - or arguably the primary thing - to think about when considering whether you should or shouldn't do something.
I'd like to point out, this is not for a lack of ability. It was because of being committed to free software and be willing to eschew material wealth to do so.
Read up on the hacker culture which Stallman and his peers spawned. It's basically the who's who of the founders of modern computing.