We do not imagine academics to be badasses. The normal image of a philosopher is usually of a somewhat chubby, aged man with a bald head and a hoary white goatee, sitting in quiet contemplation, not doing anything productive (like driving buses or mowing lawns, I suppose).
But the history of philosophy is populated with badasses and downright heroes. Not just, mind you, philosophers who hold badass philosophical positions. And not, also mind you, badasses and heroes who occasionally dabble in philosophy, like those you would find in a Dos Equis commercial. The history of philosophy is populated with many philosophers who are badasses. This is their story.
