Disciplined Minds by Jeff Schmidt

What does it really mean to be “professional”?

We like to think of professionals—scientists, lawyers, journalists, academics—as independent thinkers, people trained to analyze and question. But Jeff Schmidt argues the opposite: that professional training itself disciplines the mind, molding students into obedient workers who can be trusted to serve institutional goals while believing they’re acting freely.

Written while Schmidt was an editor at Physics Today (and controversially fired right after its publication), Disciplined Minds is part exposé, part manifesto. It explores how grading, credentialing, and career culture quietly shape our worldview—rewarding those who internalize authority and punishing those who question it.

Let’s talk about work, education, and what it would take to think (and live) freely.

Book bio