> a profession consists of individuals who have undergone a standard form of training, culminating in some kind of recognized title and degree.
So the professions were pillars of society when the world changed little and education was scarce. Now most people complete college and "the professions" are a quaint old-timey thing.
It would have been nice if the author weren't such a meandering windbag, but maybe he has trouble getting to the point because he can't bring himself to say he just wishes they professions were still considered "elite".
>> a profession consists of individuals who have undergone a standard form of training, culminating in some kind of recognized title and degree.
Yes, and basically ending there, except for being able to teach it to the next generation. The professions were things like philosophy, geometry, theology, etc.
As I understand it, the title "doctor" was used by scholars, e.g., PhDs, long before medicine even existed as a respectable field, and physicians started calling themselves "doctor" to assume an air of respectability.
The trades may have been respected, but were a couple of notches below the nobility and the clergy. The idea of achieving a high social status for actually doing something is a newfangled concept.
So the professions were pillars of society when the world changed little and education was scarce. Now most people complete college and "the professions" are a quaint old-timey thing.
It would have been nice if the author weren't such a meandering windbag, but maybe he has trouble getting to the point because he can't bring himself to say he just wishes they professions were still considered "elite".