catullus

Yeah, I gathered that.

My other option, of course, is to make the discipline switch by sheer force of will, viz., studying on my own, attending conferences, and trying to publish in the field until I can gain a modicum of credibility. An awful lot of philosophers started out as theologians, classicists, and mathematicians anyway. The reason going back for another PhD is appealing is it would let meto devote myself to this full time, rather than having to work a day job to make rent and pay my loans. It would also be useful for me to make personal contacts; I failed to do this effectively while earning my first degree, and it is costing me.

I already hold a recent PhD in religious studies from (according to some rankings) a top-ten program, but I have been finding my interests drifting away from my original field (Second-Temple Judaism and Early Christianity) and more towards philosophy, particularly metaphysics and phenomenology. I didn't have much formal training in philosophy (2 courses) as an undergrad, but I developed a very strong grounding in (and took a comprehensive exam on) ancient philosophy in grad school, just by virtue of the historical context of my specialty. So I am contemplating the insane move of going back in for a second doctorate in philosophy. My question is, how far will holding an advanced degree in a neighboring discipline go towards making up for my lack of formal preparation? Or will it actually be a hinderance (I know some programs flat out won't admit current PhDs)? My GREs are outstanding (I re-took them last year on a lark), and my grades in grad school were in the 3.8 range. I've also got a couple of publications under my belt, and a good bit of TA and teaching experience. If I can produce an outstanding writing sample, do I stand a chance of getting into a highly-ranked PhD program? I know the conventional--if contested--wisdom for those in my position is to go into an MA program first, but the few of those that offer any funding at all rarely offer enough to live on, and I simply cannot take on any more debt at this point. Thoughts?