From Science as a Vocation to Science as a Game

Against a generalized loss of meaning in society, social scientists find it hard to undertake relevant research that addresses problems facing our world. Science has turned from a vocation aimed at improving the lot of humanity to a careerist game dominated by publishing hits in starred journals. Instrumental rewards replace the passion for discovery and the intrinsic quest for knowledge. Competition among academics and academic institutions, such as journals, universities, and professional bodies, is not intrinsically harmful. Competition in the social sciences, however, is currently resulting in large quantities of formulaic publications, increasing specialization, faddishness, opportunism, and a general ironing out of originality and relevance. Academic authorship and the voice of individual scholars is wiped out as most papers are co-authored by several researchers, each a specialist in his or her area. The result is a devaluation of scholarship and a privileging of technical expertise in narrow disciplinary areas.

Competition (biology) · Discipline · Epistemology · Humanity · Meaning (existential) · Originality · Passion · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Relevance (law) · Scholarship · Social science · Sociology · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Law · Political Science Research and Education · Psychology · scientometrics and bibliometrics research · Social Psychology