Stephen Dubner

What is this realm? I'm talking about academia. If you have had the good fortune to make it into this realm with a tenured position, you can do pretty much what you want, often with generous funding from philanthropists and taxpayers. Now, I have come to know many academic researchers over the years, most of them in the social sciences.

The majority of them are lovely, brilliant, right-minded people. But they are also, and I hope they don't mind me saying this, they are also extraordinarily risk-averse, which is probably not a coincidence. You may know the famous saying, the politics of the university are so intense because the stakes are so low. To be fair, academia has been set up to be this way.

The majority of them are lovely, brilliant, right-minded people. But they are also, and I hope they don't mind me saying this, they are also extraordinarily risk-averse, which is probably not a coincidence. You may know the famous saying, the politics of the university are so intense because the stakes are so low. To be fair, academia has been set up to be this way.

The majority of them are lovely, brilliant, right-minded people. But they are also, and I hope they don't mind me saying this, they are also extraordinarily risk-averse, which is probably not a coincidence. You may know the famous saying, the politics of the university are so intense because the stakes are so low. To be fair, academia has been set up to be this way.

That's why we call it the ivory tower, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world. And that's from a dictionary made in Oxford. Many academics I know do not have the temperament to thrive in the outside world. Now, this shouldn't make us respect them any less. It's just the way it is.

That's why we call it the ivory tower, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world. And that's from a dictionary made in Oxford. Many academics I know do not have the temperament to thrive in the outside world. Now, this shouldn't make us respect them any less. It's just the way it is.

That's why we call it the ivory tower, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world. And that's from a dictionary made in Oxford. Many academics I know do not have the temperament to thrive in the outside world. Now, this shouldn't make us respect them any less. It's just the way it is.

Consider this. I happen to have a dog, one of those fluffy little breeds common in New York City. She looks more like a stuffed animal than one of her alleged wolf ancestors. And if she were set loose in the wilderness, she'd probably last around eight minutes. But that's not her fault, and I do not love her any less. So it is with academic researchers. And when it comes to grit versus quit...

Consider this. I happen to have a dog, one of those fluffy little breeds common in New York City. She looks more like a stuffed animal than one of her alleged wolf ancestors. And if she were set loose in the wilderness, she'd probably last around eight minutes. But that's not her fault, and I do not love her any less. So it is with academic researchers. And when it comes to grit versus quit...

Consider this. I happen to have a dog, one of those fluffy little breeds common in New York City. She looks more like a stuffed animal than one of her alleged wolf ancestors. And if she were set loose in the wilderness, she'd probably last around eight minutes. But that's not her fault, and I do not love her any less. So it is with academic researchers. And when it comes to grit versus quit...

Well, here is the view of one person in the field.

Well, here is the view of one person in the field.

Well, here is the view of one person in the field.

That is Melanie Stephan.

That is Melanie Stephan.

That is Melanie Stephan.

Stefan lived in Scotland for seven years and recently moved to Germany. She is a professor of physiology at Medical School Berlin, and she runs a neurobiology research lab. So Stefan has clearly had success, but along the way, she learned a lot about failure.

Stefan lived in Scotland for seven years and recently moved to Germany. She is a professor of physiology at Medical School Berlin, and she runs a neurobiology research lab. So Stefan has clearly had success, but along the way, she learned a lot about failure.

Stefan lived in Scotland for seven years and recently moved to Germany. She is a professor of physiology at Medical School Berlin, and she runs a neurobiology research lab. So Stefan has clearly had success, but along the way, she learned a lot about failure.

Even though Stefan did eventually get the career she hoped for, all that failure stayed with her. Years ago, she was rejected for a fellowship on the same day that the Brazilian Soccer Federation announced that they were leaving Ronaldinho, their longtime superstar, off the World Cup squad. At the time, Stefan wrote, cool, I am like Ronaldinho. Here's how she sees it now.