Is Academia Afraid of Thinking? -- Risk Avoidance and the Practice of Questioning What We Cannot Accept --
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: This paper examines whether the emphasis on risk avoidance may discourage independent thinking even within academia. While following instructions can be reasonable in everyday and corporate settings, academic inquiry depends on questioning established explanations and exploring unanswered questions. The paper distinguishes thinking from the conclusions and actions that may follow, and asks whether excessive caution risks undermining the fundamental purpose of academic inquiry.
Author: Sugawara, Akihito
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221599296
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