Says who? I mean that not just in the rhetorical sense of the question. Who is it that’s accepting or rejecting the claim of such a title, and why do Alice or Bob (or you) care what they say? I’ll give one possible answer: it’s often a convenient shorthand to say “I don’t have credentials, but I’m not ignorant on this topic.” Alice COULD claim to be an autodidact, but it’s usually better for her to say “I have a degree in this.”
That said, there are ALSO some common differences. None are identifying, and none apply ONLY to one group or the other. The bell curves overlap by a whole lot.
Autodidacts often have surprising holes in their knowledge or modeling, where well-designed education includes mandatory coverage regardless of student interest.
Autodidacts often don’t know the idioms and vocabulary of a discipline as well as someone with formal training.
Autodidacts are often (rightly or wrongly) dismissive of structured coursework.
Autodidacts sometimes (perhaps as a result of the above) can combine elements of multiple disciplines, or see parts of the standard way of thinking that can be revised or extended.
There are whole communities and subgroups for which education is viewed suspiciously, and in those groups, “autodidact” is the preferred intellectual title. This is not the common case.
Says who? I mean that not just in the rhetorical sense of the question. Who is it that’s accepting or rejecting the claim of such a title, and why do Alice or Bob (or you) care what they say? I’ll give one possible answer: it’s often a convenient shorthand to say “I don’t have credentials, but I’m not ignorant on this topic.” Alice COULD claim to be an autodidact, but it’s usually better for her to say “I have a degree in this.”
That said, there are ALSO some common differences. None are identifying, and none apply ONLY to one group or the other. The bell curves overlap by a whole lot.
Autodidacts often have surprising holes in their knowledge or modeling, where well-designed education includes mandatory coverage regardless of student interest.
Autodidacts often don’t know the idioms and vocabulary of a discipline as well as someone with formal training.
Autodidacts are often (rightly or wrongly) dismissive of structured coursework.
Autodidacts sometimes (perhaps as a result of the above) can combine elements of multiple disciplines, or see parts of the standard way of thinking that can be revised or extended.
There are whole communities and subgroups for which education is viewed suspiciously, and in those groups, “autodidact” is the preferred intellectual title. This is not the common case.