Someone correct me if this is wrong, but wasn't that pretty much the premise of Institute for Advanced Study? Minus very high-paying salaries. Just total intellectual freedom, with zero other commitments and distractions.
I know Feynman was somewhat critical to IAS, and stated that the lack of accountability and commitment could set up researchers to just follow their dreams forever, and eventually end up with some writers block that could take years to resolve.
I know Feynman was somewhat critical to IAS, and stated that the lack of accountability and commitment could set up researchers to just follow their dreams forever, and eventually end up with some writers block that could take years to resolve.