Defined Quote by Randall Jarrell
“Carl Becker has defined a professor as a man who thinks otherwise; a scholar is a man who otherwise thinks.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Scholar and the Professor” (1955)
A professor challenges norms, while a scholar follows established thought.
In simple terms: Professors think otherwise; scholars follow.
Key Takeaway
Encourage critical thinking.
Themes
education
thinking
conformity
Mood
inquisitive
analytical
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- university teaching
- research
- intellectual discourse
Key Concepts
critical theory
academic roles
Questions to Reflect On
- How can scholars also think otherwise?
- What value does dissent bring to academia?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify academic roles.
![“An Islamic university...structure is different from a Western University; [its] conception of what constitutes knowledge is different from what Western philosophers set forth as knowledge; [its] aims and aspirations are different from Western conceptions. The purpose of higher education is not…” quote by Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/909/syed-muhammad-naquib-al-attas_dreams_an-islamic-university-structure-is-diffe_625141.jpg)
![“A professor is not one who knows, but one who professes to know, and [thus] is constantly in the position of inviting challenge. . . . He professes publicly where everyone is invited to come and challenge, [and] at any time he must be willing and able to defend it openly against all comers. The…” quote by Hugh Nibley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6c4/hugh-nibley-13330_able_a-professor-is-not-one-who-knows-but-one_1480390.jpg)
![“Early in his life Mr. [Ezra] Pound met with strong, continued, and unintelligent opposition. If people keep opposing you when you are right, you think them fools; and after a time, right or wrong, you think them fools simply because they oppose you. Similarly, you write true things or good things…” quote by Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5a7/randall-jarrell-3811_ends_early-in-his-life-mr-ezra-pound-met-with_359433.jpg)
![“The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a [person] postulates as being a greater totality than [oneself] can become a symbol of the self. For this reason the symbol of the self is not always as total as the definition would require.” quote by Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/251/carl-jung-274_defined_the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-t_7148.jpg)
