Ivory Tower

An ivory tower is a state of privileged seclusion from the practicalities of real life. An ivory tower can be a place where people choose to disconnect from the rest of the world to follow their own interests, usually mental or esoteric ones. From the 19th century, it has been used to designate an environment of intellectual pursuit disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life. The term is often used now to refer to academia or the college and university systems. The term originated from the Biblical Song of Songs with a different meaning and was later used as an epithet for Mary.