Talk:Academician

Maybe an Academicians takes the place of the philosopher kings of Plato?

I find this utterly improbable. The title of Academician can be understood only if seen from the historical viewpoint. As enlightened rulers (e.g. Catherine the Great of Russia, Fredrick the Great of Prussia and Gustaf III of Sweden) founded national Academies modeled after the Academie Francois, the members of these academies included the most notable scientific and cultural persons of the nation. In former Soviet Union such an organization was useful as a tool of streamlining the nations intellectual elite. This explains why such an elitistic title is mostly used in former socialist countries.--81.197.78.196 21:09, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)