I definitely don't think it's unique to academia. I think some systems are more tethered to reality than others, though -- some are more like a ship, where even though the various crew members' interests are far from perfectly aligned, they all have a strong shared interest in not drowing, and most of them have a shared interest in getting to the intended destination efficiently. So although the system might become brutal and unequal, it's unlikely to shift toward a set of processes and norms that don't actually work at all.
My impression is that large portions of academia (and not just the most obvious candidates) are too close to the other extreme, with nothing to guarantee that indefinite cargo culting is not a stable equilibrium. And even when people notice this and get mad about it, they're more likely to flip the political sign of the problem than to actually fix it. But I hope this is overly cynical.
My impression is that large portions of academia (and not just the most obvious candidates) are too close to the other extreme, with nothing to guarantee that indefinite cargo culting is not a stable equilibrium. And even when people notice this and get mad about it, they're more likely to flip the political sign of the problem than to actually fix it. But I hope this is overly cynical.