Scientists do that, actually. That’s how you get relatively early stage PhDs who have double digit citations. It’s less about having friends, and more about being part of a lab that has an influential circle, which is easier to pull off at “prestigious” universities.
Edit not to appear bitter lol, just speaking about an effect I’ve observed
On a similar note. Suppose a town has gone years without a fire and is planning to massively cut the fire departments budget. The fire chief believes this is a very bad idea and will eventually lead to a deadly disaster. Should the fire chief secretly set a fire in a way that does not endanger any people but causes enough damage to make the point?
Yeah, human systems all work on the honor system, via cultural pressures mostly. Either they work smoothly or they don't, and which is kinda up to us. No system is immune to people making choices though. And we probably wouldn't like it if we had one anyway.
