The “Doctor” title: Respect or confusion?

While I can understand Robert Cassola’s comments and generally share a similar point of view, I offer here an alternative perspective. As scientists, by allowing people to address us informally, without a title, we could exemplify humility and confidence. In reality, the respect we gain is not from our job title or degree but from our contributions to society and the value we add through our discoveries. We may even find ourselves in circumstances where our scientific training will help some of the “doctors” and “officers” we encounter. Let us show our level-headedness, humility, and knowledge by setting an example: We don’t demand respect through titles. We only hope to learn fundamental truths about nature and demonstrate them through data that speaks for itself. I hope that someday our society evolves to the point of regarding a degree solely as license to practice the art rather than as license to be highly regarded.