From Gamble to Conformity? Academic Careers, Ethical Neutrality and the Role of ‘Professional’ Social Sciences

Max Weber´s sober inventory of academic life and his prophetic vision of its ‘Americanization’ highlight the impact of societies on scientific knowledge production and academic careers. Likewise, Weber was concerned with the impact of science on societies. Being aware of the growing epistemic authority of science Weber warned of its potential abuse by scientists. However, he never explored the possible implications of these connections: How are changing academic career paths, e.g. the increasing ‘professionalization,’ affecting self-image and strategies of scientists? How are changing social expectations shaping the role of scientists in societies? This contribution reengages with Weber´s text to analyze this interplay focusing on the potential trade-off between the professionalization of scientists and the epistemic authority of science: Weber´s understanding of science as a social venture is particularly informative in modern knowledge societies in which scientific knowledge plays an ever more important role. Focusing on the interplay between increasingly professionalized academic careers and the unresolved issue of drawing the boundaries of scientific authority will thus contribute to a better understanding of the contradictions of modern societies, in which scholars themselves decry ‘intellectual monocultures’ while at the same time scientists are denigrated as opportunists and ‘rent seekers.’