Scientific Vocation in Danger: The University Professor in the Global Era

Abstract

Being a professor at university demands thinking about vocation along life. And not only about ones’ vocation but also about others’. Vocation for teaching, vocation for learning, vocation for science… Vocation is so important that merits a philosophical approach. Following one’s own vocation is perhaps the most important task everyone has to do in one’s own life. Following the dictates of personal vocation is without a doubt guarantor of a full, authentic life. And, on the contrary, not following the personal vocation can be one of the reasons for living a life without meaning. Personal vocation as a task, according to Julián Marías’ philosophy, is introduced in this work, together with the concept of enthusiasm immersed into the vocational pathway. Vocation among university professors seems to be in danger in the global world. Possible causes for it are analyzed.