What are the epistemological implications of the authors’ characteristics for the field
of EA? First, although EA authors focus, by and large, on several areas of study, the weak scholarly boundaries of the field are reflected, explicitly and implicitly, in its
authors’ CVs; they are replete with many publications that do not traditionally fall
within the scholarly boundaries of EA. Furthermore, the lack of a common educational
background makes it hard for EA authors to produce a relatively agreed-upon and
cumulative knowledge base. To wit, EA authors are not constrained to research that
contributes to the practice of EA (e.g. problems of EA practitioners), but rather feel
“allowed” to navigate many (alien?) areas of study. Under this condition, policy-makers
may wonder about the contribution of the field to practice. Yet, in the name of the
academic freedom, some pluralism may engender creative writings and discoveries.
There ought to be a consistent balance between the field’s “major” areas of study (that
provide its distinguished nature and content), and its individual members’ personal
and intellectual propensities.