alt Hacker News> > universities [...] empower individuals to take intellectual risks and challenge the status quo.
What a misleading quote you made there. Why?
Full quote:
> Purpose-driven institutions built around transparency, cooperation, and accountability empower individuals to take intellectual risks and challenge the status quo.
I'd agree with that universities more often than not don't fall into the group of "Purpose-driven institutions built around transparency, cooperation, and accountability", but that's a different thing. There are more institutions than universities.
The actual full quote specifically defines universities to be one of those institutions.
>"Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities, and a free press—are the backbone of democratic life. They are the mechanisms through which complex societies encourage cooperation and stability, while also adapting to changing circumstances. The real superpower of institutions is their ability to evolve and adapt within a hierarchy of authority and a framework for roles and rules while maintaining legitimacy in the knowledge produced and the actions taken. Purpose-driven institutions built around transparency, cooperation, and accountability empower individuals to take intellectual risks and challenge the status quo."