I get what you're saying but I think what you're describing is more of a temperament more than anything else. Some people, inside and outside academia, have a kind of "root causes" or "first principles" temperament. Others are more inclined to build incrementally on existing knowledge, and less inclined to revisit the foundations.

I think you're right that lots of people with tons of training, expertise, or experience are (sometimes very disappointingly) disinclined to engage in first-principles thinking. But I would expect most academicians to at least know what it is.