ABSTRACT
The question that intrigues me, and which I would like to explore in this chapter, is how, in the context of various, often conflicting, agendas and expectations, we might conceive of the overarching purposes of academic development and what we might look for in order to satisfy ourselves and others that our work is worthwhile, or ‘fit for purpose’. Drawing on the ancient Greek concept of ‘praxis’, and the two virtues of ‘phronesis’ and ‘authenticity’, I explore what kind of a practice academic work essentially is and what this essence might imply for the kinds of knowledge academic developers could sensibly be expected to support academic colleagues in attaining.
