Academic productivism based on a Habermasian perspective

Abstract

This article argues that the issue of ethics in academic practice must receive the same attention dedicated to it in other professional practices. In fact, a difficulty faced in the debate concerning ethics in academic practice is the attitude of disregarding that the latter also consists in a social practice, conditioned by the same problems faced by contemporary society, especially in its economic dimension. Thus, this paper discusses Utilitarianism in academic practice, having Jürgen Habermas’s discursive ethics framework as a basis, and exploring some concerns about Brazilian academic productivism. Methodologically, the theoretical essay format is used as an argumentative procedure in order to build a less formal and more provocative text, instigating reflection and debate, within the scenario, on the indicated issues. Specifically, we notice the problem of quantitative appreciation of production without regard to the quality of academic work as an attempt to measure academic activity, as well as a lack of adequate reflection about the ethical and moral values encompassing the scientific and educational activity in Brazil. At last, to illustrate the perspective presented, we resort to hypothetical situations of academic practice, and make conjectures about four correlations between its pragmatic framework and ethical issues, taking into account the Habermasian construct of strategic action.