rules (i.e., “accepted – civilized – behavior”) which are not subject to any institutional authority

To illustrate this article, on Contemporary Health Tourism and Academic Libertarianism, I used the front cover of the book titled “Libertarianism - Key Concepts in Political Theory”, by Eric Mack, a paperback edition of which one can buy for $19.95, through Amazon (? https://www.amazon.com/Libertarianism-Key-Concepts-Political-Theory/dp/1509519300 ?).

keeping “the state / government out of it”

…and letting the marketplace work the way it should

For the most part of my career as a pediatric surgeon, I worked at university teaching hospitals (London, Cape Town and Durban) – doing much (though, not all) of what academics are conventionally, expected do.

Although I managed to, pretty much, get to do “my own thing”, i.e., innovate (under the “pretext” of doing “research”), I generally recoiled (and rebelled) against the aloofness of ivory tower mentality.

When I got into Health Tourism (after deciding I had done enough “innovating” as a pediatric surgeon), my intention was to introduce some “academic rigor” (in the form of deeper learning and higher-level “thinking”) to the economic sector – but without the “stuffiness” (stifling rigidity, formality and an overly strict adherence to rules, conventions and etiquette) characteristic of the “old school” academic institutions.

More specifically, I wanted Contemporary Health Tourism to be associated with academic libertarianism – which has its roots in “libertarianism”, generally, and which, as Jeffrey A. Miron, author of the book “Libertarianism, from A to Z” (? https://www.amazon.com/Libertarianism-Z-Jeffrey-Miron/dp/0465019439? ), explains, is about keeping “the state / government out of it” and letting the marketplace work the way it should.

And even more specifically, I wanted Contemporary Health Tourism to embrace the “rock ethos”, as part of its set of values – designed to challenge the status quo -? https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/designed-challenge-status-quo-constantine-constantinides-m-d-ph-d--sthdf/? .

BTW, in another LinkedIn article, I talk about getting Academia to embrace and be part of Contemporary Health Tourism (? https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/getting-academia-embrace-part-contemporary-health-constantine/? ).

about academic libertarianism (and its virtues and benefits)

…being subject to rules – but where these rules are not subject to any institutional authority

Incidentally, in addition to being designated a “strategic concept & practice”, academic libertarianism has been adopted and implemented as part of the Contemporary Health Tourism “value system” - upheld by its Ethos and Principles - ensuring ht8 remains a beautiful game. The Contemporary Health Tourism “ethos” is a systematic arrangement of “norms” enabling stakeholders to deal with each other (? https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/systematic-arrangement-norms-enabling-stakeholders-konstantinos-wox3f/ ?).

Academic Libertarianism is about being subject to rules (which in Contemporary Health Tourism we refer to as “accepted – civilized – behavior”) – but where these “rules” are not subject to any institutional authority.

Academic libertarianism applies libertarian principles to the realm of academia and emphasizes:

• freedom of thought, speech and research within academic settings
• opposition to censorship, ideological conformity and restrictions on “well-informed, thought-out and supported” controversial ideas
• decentralized knowledge production
• support for diverse academic institutions and funding models, reducing reliance on centralized control
• the encouragement of competition among ideas and research approaches
• the rights of students and faculty to pursue their intellectual interests without undue interference (something which, as a pediatric surgeon in an academic setting, I was permitted to do)
• “academic freedom” as a fundamental right
• limited institutional power (i.e., being skeptical of large bureaucratic institutions - even within academia)
• individual control of research and educational paths

virtues and benefits:

• advancement of knowledge - unfettered inquiry allows for the exploration of diverse perspectives and the challenging of established dogma, leading to intellectual progress
• protection of dissent - safeguards the rights of minority viewpoints and protects scholars from ideological persecution
• innovation and creativity - a free and competitive academic environment fosters innovation and the development of new ideas
• individual autonomy - empowers students and faculty to pursue their intellectual passions and make their own choices
• increased diversity of thought - by allowing all viewpoints to be expressed, a larger range of ideas can be examined and “better understanding” can be achieved
• reduces “group think” - by encouraging dissenting opinions, it is harder for large groups of academics to all fall into the same lines of thinking