SCIENTIST, MORE THAN A RESEARCHER AND SPECIALIST

Anglophone university tradition has reduced science to research and specialism. Hence its main purpose has been to produce researcher-specialist who uses theory and history only as a introduction to his/her inquiry.

Academic studies start with thesis or hypothesis, around which all material is collected and processed.

Candidate of academic title and diploma is just expected to conduct a " scientific study" by following a research procedure stated above.

Theory and history are simply instruments to start the scientific inquiry. Success is guaranteed when researcher has justified his/her thesis or initial claims.

Such a tradition of "science" is empirical, which is seen in its "case study" approach. Cases are  seemingly assumed to close the gap between theory and practice.

Here are my suggestions and arguments:

1) Thesis cannot be claimed first and then justified. But, the subject under study should be discussed, explained, handled, evaluated and in every step, theses and justifications should be followed to present new theses and objections. Thesis writing process should be a creative, intellectual journey. As Marx says, "there is no royal path to scientific inquiry".

2) Specialization should be followed by the other specializations.  Scientist is not simply a specialist.  Science is the totality of specializations and researches.

3) Scientist is first either a social scientists or a natural scientist and second, above all, a scientist. He/she is also specialist on certain, several areas of scientific inquiry.

4) An academics stands between researcher-specialist and intellectual-philosopher-theorist. Scientist gets closer to the second part.

5) Scientist does not only teaches but also circulates his/her conclusions, theses, evaluations.  

6) University professor (they all are called scientists erroneously ) is socially responsible, ethical person, who cannot be simply a careerist, isolated one, since science is not simply a career and individual aspiration.

Science is social, political, ideological.

A real scientist does not simply do research, teach and follows a career. He/she fulfills a social, political, ideological function.

But does he/she know it?