Academia is a term that refers to students and faculty in higher education, as well as the university system as a whole. It distinguishes academics from their colleagues in the corporate or government sectors. In general public discourse, commentators frequently use the term “academia” to describe the highly educated, intellectual elite, whether in a positive or negative sense. They sometimes use the term dismissively to describe academics as lacking in “real-world” awareness.
The word academy was coined by Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher who taught his students in the Academy, a suburb of Athens. Later scholars based their systems on Plato’s, and the term “academy” was retained to convey a similar meaning. The term “academic” has become widely used in recent centuries to refer to the university system and anyone associated with it. However, it only refers to faculty and students within the academic system, not support staff such as administrative or clerical personnel.
The college and university system dates back to the Middle Ages, and it has since evolved into an important part of modern society. Many professions require academic degrees that can only be obtained through the academic system. Academia is the gold standard for finding, studying, verifying, and disseminating knowledge. Universities engage in ongoing research in a variety of fields, including medicine, technology, science, and social science.
Since Plato’s time, academia has maintained a traditional separation from the non-academic world. The tenure system in academia protects established academic professionals’ jobs and ensures that they cannot be fired for expressing unpopular views, at least in theory. This was done to keep academia from being swayed by current events such as politics or cultural fads. Private funding for academic research projects, according to some observers, has harmed this system.
One disadvantage of academic isolation is that critics sometimes accuse academics of having little understanding of everyday challenges. Academics are described as being shielded from harsh realities and unaware of the potential consequences of their research in the metaphorical phrase ivory tower. That belief may have once been true, but many academics today work in the private sector or are otherwise involved outside of academia.
Some academic critics use the term to denigrate academic professionals as pretentious intellectuals who are oblivious to life outside the safe confines of their research labs and libraries. However, the attempt could backfire, leaving the critics sounding like pretentious, out-of-touch intellectuals.