Discussion on the Definition, Boundary and Rationality of Academic Freedom - A Philosophical Dimension Based Examination

Academic freedom is the guarantee of knowledge production and scientific research. Academic freedom is essential for the progress and development of modern free society. By analyzing previous studies, this paper makes a new interpretation and explanation of the definition, boundaries and rationality of academic freedom from a philosophical perspective. In terms of its definition, academic freedom means that academic subjects are not arbitrarily dominated by other individuals or groups in the knowledge field of life, and they properly control their own wishes and actions in this field. In terms of its boundaries, academic freedom should protect the corresponding institutions as long as they or their activities are characterized by practical activities that generally promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding. In terms of its rationality, academic freedom is an appropriate consideration of the knowledge field of social life. Furthermore, from the perspective of individualism, the rationality of academic freedom is reflected, and it is proposed that the realization of academic freedom lies in the fact that researchers should use the methodology of reliability to conduct investigations and research, and university academic subjects should accept strict scrutiny from the society and the authoritative institutions of the academic community in free academic research, and protect teaching institutions that aim to pursue the truth, thus providing theoretical guidance and practical significance for inspiring innovation for the future development of academic freedom.