The academic endeavour is a never-ending work in progress. Academia is a place where, fundamentally, imperfection is embraced. We talk of knowledge as "true for now", to allow for the limitations associated with being human and the research process. This means that we never really reach the pinnacle of knowledge.
BUT academics seem to have a hard time internalising this. The process of knowledge creation creates an awareness of how little we know. So, most of us walk around feeling like imposters. Academics also are perfectionists and this creates conflict with the reality the perfection in neither achievable nor emphasised. We, essentially, live as life-long recovering perfectionists. Confronting our perfectionism with each undertaking. We are also eager to get to the top. But, we are told, and we should know, there is no top. Anything can be dismissed as nonsense at any time.
So, how does this relationship work? I don't know. But I can think of reasons why it does and should. I discuss them in this video.
2 окт 2024
