Once, in 70-80s, I have heard a lot that corrupt professors were taking part of their bribes to Moscow and using the money to write theses, defending it, coming back to Armenia, and were becoming, let’s say, heads of chairs or members of the Academic Council to be able to take bigger bribes in these new positions. Theoretically, it was possible to do it in Yerevan, but it was preferable to do it “out of sight” to raise no extra questions by “ill-wishers”.
As then, so as now, the “false” theses are more “copied” from social, rather than an exact and natural sciences. Pseudo historian, legist, or economist needs matching the international standards and withstanding the “outer” competition less than the physicist and mathematician. It is definitely the case in the previous era, when there was an “iron curtain” and ideological restrictions were operating.
Today, it seems that these factors are not available, but it is obvious that, for example, defending thesis in Nzhdeh philosophy is easier than in fine organic chemistry. If I attend an international conference with my knowledge about Nzhdeh, the event will be attended by “philosophers” of my level, in other words, people who are engaged in the same kind of issues in Europe or America. But, if I attend a conference with my “copied” scientific degree in chemistry, no one will be interested whether I am imbued with national spirit or not. They will require from me results of specific researches and specific experiments. Not to speak about the number of references.
If we put the vanity of officials aside, why do we need scientific degree today? Of course, first of all to be released from the army, giving bribes to doctors to be released from the army is much more expensive today than “copying” the theses. I am not familiar with the statistics, but I am confident that the number of men among people defending theses in recent years is much more and their theses in humanities prevail. Consequently, this was the very place where the “money was going around.” Today, it is almost excluded at the level of HQC, given the personality of current president of the Committee. However, it is quite possible at the level of the Academic Council. The solution is one: to intensify the standards of theses in multiple times. This, apparently, should be the first move towards the improvement of the sector.
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Objective: not to add pseudo-scientists to all pseudo phenomenon.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
