Democracy, Praxis, Research

Attempts to control academic research through quantitative indicators—number of publications, impact factors, calls for proposals—have perverse effects: they push researchers to prioritize quantity over quality, fragment their work, and follow trends rather than innovate. This bureaucratic system ultimately stifles creativity and true scientific progress. The solution, simple yet radical, would be to “hire good researchers, pay them properly, and tell them to do their work as best as possible”, granting them trust and freedom instead of locking them into rigid procedures.

This text highlights a model of scientific organization based on absolute freedom, absence of bureaucratic constraints, and elimination of rigid hierarchies. The Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton illustrates how a minimalist framework—without committees, formal meetings, or imposed obligations—allows researchers to fully cultivate their thinking and creativity. By valuing trust, free time, and informal interaction, this institute fosters intellectual flourishing and the generation of innovative ideas, thus contributing to scientific progress in all its diversity.