People like Lukacs need to find organizations that are compatible with their irreverence. Although merit goes a long way, academia is VERY political especially

People like Lukacs need to find organizations that are compatible with their irreverence. Although merit goes a long way, academia is VERY political especially when it comes to making tenure decisions. It's funny that you would say that, because it seems there are few environments better suited to people like Lukacs than academia. The way they see it: sure, the politics is a pain in the ass, but at least they're in an environment where they can make very substantial contributions to the world. The pain of politics is worth doing what they love. Disclosure: my father is a very well known research professor in his field, who is always complaining about campus politics. "So why are you still there?" always gets the response, "Where else could I go to do this?" If you happen to know somewhere else, let us know.