It’s impossible to understand the sociological impact of Erich von Däniken’s bestselling debut Chariots of the Gods if you’re unfamiliar with the inbred awe many Germans feel when confronted with someone from an academic background. We Germans have a strong belief in academic titles, which are widely considered as de facto scientific qualifications, regardless of their exact nature. If you find yourself on the losing side of an argument concerned with, say, contemporary astrophysics, it’s always a good idea to remind your lay enemies that you are a bona fide doctor of political science. They might grumble, but they are certainly impressed enough to address you as Doctor So-and-so – which makes them look stupider than you, if only by the behavioural rules of Germanic society.