Freedom, Anarchy and Conformism in Academic Research

K. Vela Velupillai

No 1123, ASSRU Discussion Papers from ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit

Abstract: In this paper I attempt to make a case for promoting the courage of rebels within the citadels of orthodoxy in academic research environments. Wicksell in Macroeconomics, Brouwer in the Foundations of Mathematics, Turing in Computability Theory, Sraffa in the Theories of Value and Distribution are, in my own fields of research, paradigmatic examples of rebels, adventurers and non-conformists of the highest caliber in scientific research within University environments. In what sense, and how, can such rebels, adventurers and non-conformists be fostered in the current University research environment dominated by the cult of 'picking winners'? This is the motivational question lying behind the historical outlines of the work of Brouwer, Hilbert, Bishop, Veronese, Gödel, Turing and Sraffa that I describe in this paper. The debate between freedom in research and teaching, and the naked imposition of 'correct' thinking, on potential dissenters of the mind, is of serious concern in this age of austerity of material facilities. It is a debate that has occupied some of the finest minds working at the deepest levels of foundational issues in mathematics, metamathematics and economic theory. By making some of the issues explicit, I hope it is possible to encourage dissenters to remain courageous in the face of current dogmas

Keywords: Non-conformist research; economic theory; mathematical economics; 'Hilbert's Dogma'; Hilbert's Program; computability theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-his, nep-hme, nep-hpe, nep-pke and nep-sog
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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